


Do It Different This Time

by ireallyshouldnt_behere



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:47:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 34,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26092849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ireallyshouldnt_behere/pseuds/ireallyshouldnt_behere
Summary: To say that today just wasn’t her day would be an understatement. She ran out of coffee grounds this morning, now had a headache, got outbid for a job, and now this? Korra wanted to smash her head onto the steering wheel but as smoke billowed from the hood of her truck, she decided against adding another cost to fixing the piece of shit.
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato
Comments: 375
Kudos: 795
Collections: Finishedstoriesmine, good shit my guy





	1. Chapter 1

To say that today just wasn’t her day would be an understatement. She ran out of coffee grounds this morning, now had a headache, got outbid for a job, and now this? Korra wanted to smash her head onto the steering wheel but as smoke billowed from the hood of her truck, she decided against adding another cost to fixing the piece of shit. 

It wasn’t a piece of shit, it actually was a nice truck, but fuck if it didn’t have its issues every now and then. Just like her. Korra was semi thankful that she was still in a residential area as she pulled over and put on her emergency flashers. Had she been a few streets over in a busier part of Republic City she would have already been yelled at three times for being a menace to society, but by now her middle finger had enough practice to raise itself and then she would ignore the screamers. They’ll be forgotten anyway. 

Korra groaned inwardly before unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out of the truck to check what was going on. She wasn’t very knowledgeable about vehicles, but sometimes it would just be a wonky hose that needed to be refitted and she would be on her way. She popped the hood, coughing as more white smoke rushed towards her face, and then stared at the mess of metal, tubes, and wires. 

_ Yep. Looks like an engine. _

She checked the battery cables, the oil, wiggled some tubes, and then forgot that metal gets really hot and stuck her hand towards the radiator. 

“Ow-fuck!” She yanked her hand back and tried to flick off the white hot pain. It really just wasn’t her day. She sucked on her now red tipped finger and stared incredulously at the offending engine, wondering how close the nearest coffee shop was. At least coffee could fix her headache. 

She was about to pull out her phone and get directions when a sweet voice interrupted her angry thoughts. 

“You doing ok over here?”

Korra turned and tried to maintain a straight face when she saw who was talking to her. Maybe it’s not such a bad day after all. A girl, no,  _ a woman. _ Tall, her age, black hair, green eyes. Fuck, had there ever been anything as green? And those lips, so red and sweet. Wait, they’re moving, she’s talking. What did she say?

“Sorry, what was that?”

Sweet, red lips curled into a smile to bare perfect teeth. Of course they were perfect. “I said do you mind if I take a look at it?”

“Oh, uhh,” Korra looked her up and down quickly. “Go for it, I guess. Just watch your hands, it’s really hot.” She held up her throbbing finger and the beautiful woman bit the side of her cheek to keep from laughing. 

“Metal tends to do that, yes,” she said with a smirk and walked to inspect under the hood. Korra got a whiff of fresh shampoo and very fancy smelling perfume. The mixture was intoxicating and she had to refrain from leaning into it. That would be creepy. 

“-from the radiator, it’s a really easy fix but I don’t have the...are you not listening to me again?” The goddess now had a hand on her hip and cocked it out with a raised eyebrow and wow. 

“Wait, what?” Get your shit together Korra, she’s going to think you’re an idiot. “I’m so sorry, it’s been a rough morning and I ran out of coffee and now this...I guess I’m a little out of it.”

Lips smirked again and Korra willed herself to pay attention fully. “I said that it’s probably just a coolant leak from the radiator, it’s an easy fix.” She tilted her head and seemed to gauge something on Korra’s face for a second. “I own a little shop down the road, I can have it towed there and get it checked out for you. We also have coffee.”

A few things flew through her mind, one of them being that the offer almost sounded like flirting, but ‘towing’ had her clicking back into reality. She scratched the back of her neck where it felt itchy from embarrassment. “I can’t really afford to have it towed right now. Do you know what part I need? I can figure out how to fix it myself.”

Green eyes squinted slightly, gauging her once more before the woman seemed to nod to herself. “What kind of carpentry do you do?”

“How do you know I’m a carpenter?” Is she a mind reader? Are those achingly green eyes actually witches orbs, and that’s why they look so unbelievable?

But the woman just threw a thumb over her sharp shoulder. “It’s on the side of the truck.  _ Korra’s Custom Carpentry.” _ She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow and crossed her arms. “Unless you’re not Korra and this vehicle is actually stolen?”

Korra wanted to slap herself so badly but for once in her life she had the decency not to. “No, that’s me. This is my truck.” She wanted to groan for the hundredth time this morning. “I mainly do cabinets, like complete kitchens and bathrooms, but I can make furniture as well. Why?”

“I was thinking we could do a trade,” the girl offered and paused for a moment in thought. “I’ll tow your truck and fix it if you come give me an estimate on my kitchen.”

“Oh, well, I usually do estimates for free, so I don’t think that’s a very fair trade for you.”

“I’m aware of that, it’s on the truck,” she threw the thumb over her shoulder again and Korra just really wanted to die. “So my offer still stands. What do you say?”

It was Korra’s turn to gauge the woman, who by all means looked like the textbook example of Corporate United Republic. Her white button up and black slacks were pressed perfectly and not a hair was out of place, yet she owned a shop? It didn’t make sense yet, but she wasn’t about to turn down free vehicle maintenance. Korra stuck out her hand. “I think you have a deal.”

The handshake was definitely corporate material. 

“Perfect,” the woman said and turned to start walking. “Now let’s go get that coffee.”

Korra watched dumbly as that perky ass swayed in perfectly pressed pants until the woman stopped and flipped her hair over her shoulder and  _ fuuuck. _ Was she unknowingly in a Vogue photo shoot right now?

“You coming, Korra?”

_ I wish. _

Korra shook herself out of the thought, it’s too early to be a disaster, and jogged to meet the woman. “Hey, I never caught your name.”

That smirk turned her insides into mush. “It’s Asami.”

Maybe today won’t be so bad after all. 

_______

Her truck purred as she came to a stop outside the address Asami had given her the other day and she gawked at the sight. Korra had been in this area a few times before, the very very rich suburb of Republic City that could hardly be called a suburb since the homes were spaced so far apart. She hesitated to even call them just homes and not estates, but Korra was already a bit on edge with this whole thing anyway to even care about nuances. 

Asami had been late for a meeting when they met the other day and could only grab a quick coffee at Starbucks, for which Korra had to fight to pay for, before she ran off. Content to walk home slowly and enjoy her coffee, though it was a far walk, Korra hadn’t realized something incredibly vital until she sat down in her own shop and let the sound of her belt sander lull her into deep thought. 

She didn’t have Asami’s number, and Asami didn’t have hers. Shutting off her sander with a deep groan, she had finally smacked a hand to her face. Was it all a rouse to steal her truck? She had insurance, sure, and the truck wasn’t that special, but what the fuck. 

But then she got a call from an unknown number later that night and she turned into an idiot all over again. 

“Hello?”

‘Korra, hey. It’s Asami.’

Oh thank fuck...but wait, how? “How did you get my number? I’ve been panicking all day thinking you stole my truck.”

Bright laughter rang through the line and it settled somewhere deep in her stomach somehow. ‘Korra....your number is on the side of your truck.’

She slapped a hand over her face but wouldn’t give in to the groan. There had already been too many. “I swear I’m not this stupid, Asami.” She heard a softer laugh and smiled. “It’s just been one of those days, you know?”

‘I get it, don’t worry. So your truck-‘

There had been a few things wrong with her truck and Asami had fixed them all. Korra tried to pay her for even the labor but she quickly realized that when Asami wanted something, she got it, and she didn’t want Korra paying. It was somewhat of a relief, business had been slow lately and while she wasn’t exactly struggling, she definitely wasn’t able to purchase the house that she was about to ring the bell to. 

Korra didn’t understand it, as the shop she picked her truck up from was nice but didn’t seem to bring in the revenue that would allow a home like this, but she wasn’t one to pry. Maybe Asami was just from old money, an heiress or something like that. Whatever be the case, she had been nothing but generous and kind to Korra so there was nothing to really worry about. 

And when Asami opened the door with a smile that could fuel planets, there was nothing else to think of but those eyes. 

“Korra!” She beamed. “It’s good to see you, thanks for making time to give me a bid so quickly.”

It wasn’t that hard, since she wasn’t exactly slammed with work at the moment, but her self preservation wouldn’t allow that admittance yet. 

“It’s only fair,” she replied and Asami rolled her eyes. It was interesting to see her in more casual clothing, gone were the pressed clothes for burgundy pants and a white shirt. Relaxed, but clean. Korra took in her surroundings as they walked through the house making small talk. It was organized, somewhat modern, big. 

Honestly being inside now it wasn’t as big as Korra thought, just very spacious. Asami explained as they walked through that there’s an indoor pool and a gym, which both got Korra’s attention, as well as her own shop in the backyard. That one made Korra laugh. 

“So you own a shop, and have one in your backyard? I mean, don’t they kind of cancel each other out?”

“Not exactly,” she hummed. “My shop here is more for projects, to keep my hands busy, you know? My car shop is a different kind of hobby.”

Korra was inclined to ask what she meant about a shop being a hobby, but they had finally made it to the kitchen and she got busy taking all the measurements of counter spaces, walls, appliances. She took pictures of the layout, where electrical outlets were, the lighting in the ceiling. She always brought a folder with sample photos of her previous work so Korra could keep a possible client entertained while she worked. 

Asami went through it pretty quickly and then sat back to watch her work. Though they were silent, it wasn’t uncomfortable or out of place anywhere. Korra took the time to actually appreciate the space as well. Though it was a little outdated, the kitchen was beautiful and had been made with quality workmanship. The whole house was, from what she had seen of it, but that usually came with a house of this size. Deep pockets could pay for the best, and the thought of trying to live up to those expectations was a little daunting. 

The look Asami was giving her when Korra finally turned around was even more daunting. 

“You think you can work with this?” Asami crossed her arms on the counter and looked at her expectantly, appraisingly. 

Korra laughed hard, mirroring the crossed arms across the counter. “I think I can manage.” She smirked, this was the biggest kitchen she had ever been in. “Did you see anything in my portfolio that stood out to you? I have more wood samples at my shop that I can bring back to give you an idea of more textures and colors if nothing jumped out at you.”

“Where’s your shop?”

“My shop?” Why was she asking about the shop? “It’s behind my house over off 49th and Rose.”

Asami nodded. “How about I drop by tomorrow and check out those samples so you don’t have to bring them all the way out here? I’ll be headed out that way anyway.”

Korra had never had a potential client want to stop by her shop and if anyone asked she most likely would have said no, but with Asami looking at her like that with her chin rested in a pale hand, there was only one answer. 

“Sure, ok.”

______

49th and Rose was on the complete opposite side of the city that Asami needed to be in that morning but the promise of seeing Korra, and seeing where Korra lived and worked, was worth any angry investors that had to have their meeting pushed back. 

Grumpy old men in ill-fitted suits held nothing to gorgeous tan skin and lovely muscles. 

Having already told her assistant to push back everything for a few hours and be on standby for more, Asami parked in front of the address Korra had somewhat nervously given her yesterday. She understood, as Asami knew she would be hard pressed to let someone into her own shop, but Korra had relented so she didn’t feel too bad. Something about the woman had drawn her in from that first moment she saw her digging through the hood of her truck. 

She had been charmed immediately when blue eyes looked so incredulous at the hot metal that burned her, like she was expecting an engine that had just been running to be cool. Asami had already been late that day and normally would have just walked by and let the person figure it out on their own, but she was drawn in like she hadn’t felt in, well, ever. 

It was normally easy for her to keep her composure, years of running a tough boardroom around a bunch of stingy old people who fought hard to trust her built up a tolerance to emotions, but the way Korra wore her heart on her sleeve had Asami slipping. The way soft brown hair fell out of its tiny ponytail to hit at the junction of a tan neck and broad shoulder had her mesmerized, and when those dark lips curled into a cocky smirk Asami’s stomach had flipped. At 25 years old, no one had ever affected her like that. Her knocking on the door of a small house only solidified the notion that Asami Sato might actually be smitten with someone she’s had maybe two hours worth of interactions with. 

She was just going to go ahead and add radiant ass smile and a new found love for white t-shirts on tan skin to her list. Korra opened the door with a cup of coffee in her hand and something about the contrast between light and dark had her itching to touch. 

“Good morning, Asami!” She beamed. “Do you want some coffee?”

“Please,” she mused and followed into the quaint house. It was decorated with all sorts of blue Tribe artifacts and something about the clean ocean smell just wrapped around her and settled into her brain as the very essence of Korra. It was perfect. 

The two of them walked through the house with their coffees, Korra lazily pointing at things on their way to the back yard, and she was impressed when they made it to the shop. 

“I bought this property for the land,” Korra said as they walked outside. “The house is nice and all, but I wanted a space where I could build this shop. None of the studios in the main city had tall enough ceilings to be able to fit the woodwork I do so this had to be it. I also think my neighbors would kill me with how much noise my tools make.”

“You built this shop?” Asami looked around, impressed. It had to be close to the size of the house itself. 

“A few friends and I did after I moved here and got settled,” Korra said with a shrug and started pulling out all of her wood samples. Asami knew that she was here to look at the samples but she was more impressed with the equipment Korra had in the shop. Well, most of it anyway. 

“This table saw has seen its better days,” she offered lightly, but it really was shit. She noticed plenty of Future Industries machines in the shop but that saw had Cabbage Corp written all over it. Literally. 

Korra gave her a sheepish grin. “I know it’s junk, but it was the first saw I bought when I moved here so I’m kind of attached to it. I’ve learned my lesson in buying quality, and I’ve had my eye on the new one from Future Industries, but I haven’t been able to part with it yet.”

“Well you should,” Asami said with a laugh. “You’re going to cut your finger off with that thing. Cabbage Corp has a reputation for shoddy workmanship.”

“Sounds like you have personal experience,” Korra said with a raised brow and shit, how was Asami supposed to concentrate when those tan arms were crossed like that. Focus, Sato. 

“You can say that again.” She had gotten the impression that Korra didn’t know who she was, and not like she was narcissistic or anything but it was sort of surprising to not be gawked at for once. It was refreshing, really, and if Korra didn’t know who she was now, Asami hoped that the way she was treated wouldn’t change when she did. 

Korra just shrugged and beckoned her over to the samples. “Well these obviously aren’t your exhaustive options, I can paint and stain any type of wood you want, but just to get an idea.”

She glanced over the samples, having already known what she wanted of course, but wanted to at least look interested. Asami hadn’t come here for the samples. She came here for Korra. “I know what I want.”  _ You. _ “How long do you usually take before having a layout and estimate done?”

______

Three days was usually faster than her normal time to get a proper bid estimate done, but Korra just played it off as not having much other work to do. Also, the estimate for Asami’s kitchen had been a trade, so she was willing to put in some extra hours to get it done quickly. 

But as she walked up that long ass driveway with butterflies in her stomach, Korra knew she was lying to herself. She wanted to see Asami as soon as she could. 

The butterflies might also be nerves, because now that she was being led into the house (mansion, estate, palace, who knows) by a butler and ushered into Asami’s office, her stomach was flipping. This bid was the highest amount she’s ever estimated for a potential customer and Korra was afraid that Asami might think she was taking advantage of her wealth. 

She got right to business once the pleasantries were over, ready to be told to fuck off. “Cherry wood cabinets, painted black, butcher block countertop island that overhangs for bar seats; black, leathered granite countertops, industrial sinks and ample, open shelves; ambient canned lighting with drop lights over the island and stove. You’re not saying anything so I’m sure you know how to read an estimate report...” she shut up her ramble as Asami looked at each page thoroughly, a pale finger pushing in her bottom lip in concentration. Those green eyes so calculating. 

“40,000 yuans?” Asami said finally and looked up at her with an even face. “Korra, those countertops alone will be close to 10k, the cherry wood close to that same amount. You have an incredibly thorough report here, but all this work and you only quoted yourself 5,000 for labor over the span of-“ she rifled through the papers once more, “two months of work. I don’t mean to question your business practices, but do you always short yourself on labor like that?”

Of all the things she could have thought would happen, that wasn’t one of them. “Oh, umm-“ she was at a loss for words and Asami’s eyebrows just kept getting higher. “Truth be told I didn’t want you to think I was taking advantage of you. I mean, I don’t know your financial situation but this house is....not modest. I was trying to be fair.”

“Well then you would be the first,” Asami said easily as she leaned back in her chair. “I’ve had two bids done before you and their numbers were absolutely wild. One guy tried to quote me 30k alone for just the cabinets.”

“Idiot,” Korra scoffed. She understood competition but that was just ridiculous. “I mean, you have your own shop, of course you’ll know how to read price quotes and estimates. How anyone could try and sneak thousands of yuans under your nose is beyond me.”

Something flashed across Asami’s face but was gone in an instant. “You’d be amazed. However, get me a new estimate with a better quote on your labor costs and I think we have a deal, Korra.” She stuck out her hand to shake and when Korra grabbed it to reciprocate she felt a zap of lightning run through their palms. 

Calm yourself down, Korra. You’re business partners now. 

______

She somehow had been able to talk Korra into letting her help with the demolition of the kitchen and Asami just let it all out with every crash of her sledgehammer. 

_ Whack! _ An empty kitchen after her mother’s funeral.  _ Whack! _ Her dad passed out on the island, drunk.  _ Whack! _ An empty kitchen after her father’s funeral.  _ Whack! _ Opal finding her curled into a ball in front of the fridge.  _ Whack! _ Piecing herself back together.  _ Whack! _ Making a name for herself.  _ Whack! _ Turning this house room by room from what it once was, a constant reminder of her loss, to something she could finally call home.  _ Whack! _ That’s what she did best, rise up and create.  _ Whack! _ She could do this. 

“Asami!” Korra was shaking her shoulder and had a hand ready to grab the sledgehammer. “I think you showed the cabinets who’s boss now.” Korra took the tool out of her shaking hands and set it down, removing her safety glasses before furrowing her brows. “You alright? Did they offend you or something?”

Asami huffed out a laugh and raised her own safety glasses. “Something like that.” She shrugged. “I’m sorry, sometimes I just get into it. I usually build stuff, so it’s nice to break shit apart sometimes.”

“I get it,” Korra said with a smile. “Just, maybe try and not hit the wall next time?” She stepped forward and wiped off where Asami had chipped away accidentally a part of the wall. “Actually, this could work. Did you know that brick was behind here?”

“Brick?” She asked and stepped up to take a look and sure enough the wall behind the cabinets was red brick and not wood or drywall. 

“I had planned on doing a backsplash but if you’re ok with improvising I think the brick works a little more to your aesthetic.”

Asami cocked a hand on her hip, only just now noticing how close they were and shit did that tan skin look beautiful with a shiny layer of sweat. “My aesthetic?”

Korra threw her a cocky grin. “Yea, pretty much everything about you is red and black. Your car, clothes, lipstick. So with the black cabinets and red brick it would just be...you.”

“My lipstick, huh?” She rubbed her lips together and popped them, watching as Korra’s eyes followed the movement.  _ Gotcha. _ “Well you’re the expert here, so I’ll give you the artistic liberty on that. We can always cover it up if I don’t like it.” She flipped her hair and walked away, knowing that it wouldn’t have the same effect since it was in a ponytail but she could feel those blue eyes on her so it didn’t matter. 

Her aesthetic though...it had been so long since someone had noticed anything about Asami besides her wallet and position of power. To some it may seem small to be caught up in the fact that Korra had been considerate enough to think of what she might like on the spot, but the feeling settled into her stomach with each step away from the tan woman. Asami wasn’t prude by any means, she had her wild college years after her father’s death which wound up being many years of experimentation, but there was something different about Korra. There was no doubt that she was attractive, watching those biceps hurl a sledgehammer only offered to prove that point, but she was more than just her good looks. 

Korra was  _ good. _ She was sweet and funny but also cocky and fierce. She also didn’t seem to have a stop button, as it was already the third day of demolition and she worked from the moment she arrived until it was time to pack up and never complained. She was beautiful. 

When Asami turned around and caught those blue eyes staring at her ass she knew it was only a matter of time before one of them did something. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, this is like my...8th story since May? I'm just...I need a girlfriend or something, any takers? I can write you really pretty words...
> 
> On a different note, I hope you enjoy these two disasters!


	2. Chapter 2

Korra sat down gingerly and closed her eyes for a moment while she flicked her sander to life. There was something about the loud whirring noise that shut the world out around her, it easily drowned any impeding noises that threatened to distract her. These days when she needed to think this was where she would be, sander in hand and just losing herself in the work in front of her, clearing her mind for a while to calm herself down. 

She could feel drops of sweat rolling down the back and sides of her neck as muscles tensed and released with each stroke of the sander. Something about it was reminiscent of home, of the great expansive abyss that was the Southern tundra. Even in her darkest times, only those few years ago, Korra would find her way out into a blizzard just to hear that crashing wind around her, clearing her mind of everything so she could focus on the good. 

It wasn’t as though there was anything bad in her life at the moment, rather the opposite, but Korra needed this break to go over something. Over someone. 

_ Asami. _ Asami was that someone. 

A month into her work on Asami’s kitchen had proven to be a lot more fun than any other job she did before. Yes, the money helped, but always having a gorgeous woman who knew her way around tools traipsing about? Now that was something else. Asami was witty and her humor was so dry Korra was constantly choking on the things she would say. She wasn’t always there when Korra was working, but the second that black hair billowed through the front door there was something in the air that changed. 

It was also a month of obvious flirting and indiscreet ogling, which was nice of course, but Korra had a job to do, literally. It was hard to put up that wall that says  _ ‘hello, I’m working for you, can you please stop eye-fucking me right now,’ _ when Korra would like nothing more than to throw that tall goddess over her shoulder and search for the nearest room. While all of that had made her work more interesting, it also felt like Asami was holding something back. 

The sander glided over that incredible cherry wood, so delicate and expensive but it was what Asami wanted and she was going to do the very best job she could. That day where Asami was beating the absolute shit out of the cabinets with a sledgehammer made Korra realize that something was simmering underneath that cool facade. It was like she had a personal vendetta against the poor wood, and her eyes had gone glassy with something Korra knew only too well as pain. They were getting close, flirting and eye-fucking just a side note to an actual budding friendship in a sense, but they weren’t close enough for Korra just to go all out and ask. Not yet, anyway. 

A very wet nudge made her jump and nearly scuff the last cabinet door she was working on. 

“Naga!” Korra yelped and turned off the sander. “How did you get in here, girl?” She lifted up her glasses and scratched that good spot behind a giant white ear. 

“I didn’t know you had a dog.” 

Korra whipped around to the voice and nearly fell off her stool, only catching herself on a tool box and she tried to play it cool. “Asami! Hey. Umm, how did you get in here?” That seemed to be the question of the hour. 

“I knocked on your front door and - Naga is it?” She nodded. “Naga here let me in somehow and barked until I followed her back here.”

“Huh, that’s weird,” Korra said and looked down at her panting dog. “She doesn’t usually like people.”

“Maybe I smell good or something,” Asami said easily and mirrored the spot where Korra had itched, earning a soft  _ awoo  _ from the beast. 

Wait, what was even going on? “Sure, let's go with that.” She does always smell amazing. “So what’s up? Did I forget we had to meet up today or something?”

Asami looked at all of the cabinet doors lined up with an approving nod before sitting down on a small tool box. “No, I was just in the neighborhood and figured I’d stop by. I didn’t think you would already be out here working this early.”

“I’m not always up this early,” she replied and sat back down on her stool. Her legs were screaming and her back ached but it came with the territory. 

“Are you ok?” Asami must have noticed the pained look on her face. 

Korra huffed out a laugh and scratched the back of her neck. “I’m good, just sore. I played two games of hockey last night and I’m currently paying the price for it.”

“You play hockey?”

“Just in an adult pick-up league, nothing crazy.” 

“It keeps you in shape though,” Asami said with an appreciative look and Korra could feel her cheeks burn a little. She’s such a damn flirt.

“I guess,” she said and twisted her arms subconsciously to flex a little. “Honestly it's just kind of a fun thing to do with friends.”

Asami tilted her head and looked at her for a second. “Is that the only sport you play?”

“On any sort of team capacity, yea.” Korra played with the fringe on the end of her pants nervously. Something about the way Asami was looking at her made Korra want to spill her whole life story. “I played soccer and was on the swim team in high school too.”

“What about college?”

And there it was. “I actually didn’t go to college,” Korra started. “I was in a pretty bad car accident when I was 16 and every college that had been scouting me dropped out because of my injuries.”

Asami crossed her legs and got comfy. “What happened, if I might ask?”

Korra had to smile at how curious she looked. She didn’t open up to many people what had happened to her, but Asami was safe and understanding. 

She let out a deep breath. “I had just broken up with my boyfriend at the time, we were young and it just wasn’t...that doesn’t matter. Well, he called and asked if we could talk so he came over and picked me up, but I didn’t know that he had been drinking until we made it a few miles down the road. Long story short he had gotten hammered and decided that if he couldn’t have me then no one could and he drove us off the side of a mountain. I made it, barely. He didn’t.”

Asami whistled with a grimace. “Shit, Korra. That’s awful. How did you even survive that?” 

Korra shrugged, it was nice to not have someone just throw their condolences at her. “No clue. The car rolled a few times and stopped on a boulder so it was pretty much good luck. I don’t remember any of it, just waking up in the hospital a few weeks later and I couldn’t feel below my waist. It took over a year before I could take a step and then another year to deal with the mental impacts from it.”

“Wow,” Asami said in awe. “All that and now you’re here, working like crazy and playing hockey still? I’m impressed. I’m sorry you had to go through it, but I’m glad you’re here now.”

Now that was the type of apology she could appreciate. “Thank you, Asami.” She smiled and leaned back against the table behind her, getting comfy too. “I don’t know what I would have done in life if I had stayed the way I was. Honestly, I was kind of an asshole kid, always cocky and unyielding. I butted heads with so many people that losing the thing I loved most really knocked me down a few pegs. It’s how I found woodworking, actually.”

“Yea?” 

Korra nodded and smiled at the new curious look in those green eyes. She wasn’t bored of her story at least, that had to mean something. “I was really losing myself when I couldn’t walk so my dad tried to find things for me to do that only needed my hands, and we eventually found that I loved carpentry. There was something about it that was so calming for me and so when I was able to get up and move around well enough I packed everything up and moved out here. Not that I don’t love the Southern Tribe or my parents, but I was ready to get away from all that, you know?”

“Yea, I get it.” Asami leaned back and stared around the shop for a moment, just thinking. “I was 17 when my dad died and I was left in this legacy that I didn’t want. He had lost himself after my mom died when I was a kid and just...I didn’t want to be him. He was a tortured soul, you could say, and he did a lot of bad things in the last few years of his life. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to build myself and our family name back up since then in my own way. That’s why I’m remodeling the house....I just want to let all the bad memories go and restart.”

Everything suddenly clicked in Korra’s brain and she felt stupid for not realizing earlier. Asami  _ Sato. _ She had of course seen the name on the checks paid to her but it wasn’t until this moment that it all made sense. Hating on Cabbage Corp tools, skirting around the fact that she lived in a giant house but only owned a small shop.  _ That’s _ what she had been hiding.

“Looks like you finally figured it out,” Asami said with a laugh and the back of Korra’s neck itched with embarrassment again. 

“I kind of feel stupid that I’m only just realizing.”

Asami shook her head and smiled. “Don’t, please. It’s been really nice to be treated like a normal person for once. People usually either think I’m a stuck up bitch or they try and use me.”

“Fuck them,” Korra said quickly with the dejected look on Asami’s face. “ _ ‘Treated like a normal person,’ _ ” she copied. “You are a normal person! I mean, you’re beautiful and awesome of course, but people shouldn’t treat you a certain way before getting to know you. You’re a person, not just a CEO.”

Asami leaned forward and she cocked an eyebrow. “So you think I’m beautiful?”

“Oh shut up.” The blush on her face spoke for itself though. “You’re the one barging into my house at seven in the morning.”

Asami barked out a laugh but somehow it was still beautiful. “I didn’t barge, your dog let me in.” She pet Naga for good measure who had happily taken a seat at Asami’s feet. “I hope she doesn’t always let strangers in. Maybe you need better locks.”

It was Korra’s turn to bark out a laugh. “She’s usually protection enough. I had her in my room that day you were over because she’s usually a bitch to people, but she likes you. I’m impressed.”

“Like dog, like owner?” 

Korra rolled her eyes. “Come on, let's get some coffee before you start trying to get all my secrets out of me.” They walked inside and Korra started a pot of coffee for them. “What’s up with the shop, by the way? I mean, isn’t Future Industries enough?”

Asami shrugged and thrummed her fingers on the counter. “After college I just got bored I guess. I don’t really get a lot of freedom to play with stuff as CEO, so the shop is just kind of a pet project to let myself feel normal and more helpful, if that makes sense?”

“More helpful? Asami, Future Industries has done amazing things for the world, isn’t that help enough?”

“It’s different when you get to see the final product, you know?” She took the cup Korra offered her and drank a sip before continuing. “I design and approve things as CEO, but at the shop I get to work with my hands and actually see the customer.”

“I never thought of it that way,” Korra said softly. She always got to see the end product on her jobs but since it was only person to person she didn’t feel like it made a huge impact, but at least knowing that a customer was satisfied made it all the better. Being so high up on the food chain, in a sense, must make Asami feel incredibly detached sometimes. “Getting to work and using my hands, that’s usually my outlet when I need to get away from stress.”

“Exactly.” Asami’s smile was radiant, like someone finally understood. 

_______

“A little to the left, Bolin. No, your other left. Yes! Ok, down.” 

The kitchen was coming along smoothly, far smoother than most Korra had ever worked on but she just leant that to the fact she had so much room to work with in Asami’s house and if for some reason she forgot a tool at home there was always a replacement in the shop out back. Korra nearly drooled over some of the tools that Asami had, but it made sense being that she was the one who designed most of them. 

She took a step back and admired the base cabinets she had just drilled into the brick wall. The black against the red looked so much better than she had imagined and Korra hoped that Asami would like it just as much. She had been away on a business trip for the last few days so Korra had put in a lot of work to get things rolling. With everything pretty much done or at least worked on at the moment, she was feeling good. 

“It’s looking good!” 

Korra’s drill jumped at the sound of the voice and she was glad that it wasn’t a face piece she was drilling into. 

“Fuck, Asami, you scared the shit out of me.”

“I didn’t know you were so jumpy, I’m sorry,” she said with that achingly suave smile and Korra rolled her eyes. She stood up, wiping off her pants, and beckoned her friend over to introduce them.

“Asami, this is Bolin. Bolin, this is Asami.” Bolin rushed over to shake her hand like the sweet gentleman he is. “Bolin is my muscle when I need help lifting. He and his brother helped me build my shop and they’re who I play hockey with.”

“You need extra muscle?” Asami eyed her bare biceps without hesitation and cocked a hip with a sly smile. 

“Aaand his brother Mako is my trusty electrician!” She diverted the topic when Bolin gave her a side-eye, noticing the flirting. “Mako, come meet Asami, the homeowner!”

“A-Asami?” She heard from the light fixtures above.

“Mako, huh?” Asami said with a smirk. “I haven’t heard that name since college.”

“You two know each other?” Korra was confused but with Mako dropping down out of the crawl space between floors looking sheepish there wasn’t much time to think. 

“I uhh-“ he tried. 

“We dated for a bit, until he cheated on me.”

Korra’s jaw dropped. “You cheated on  _ her? _ ” She asked in amazement. “Idiot.” Honestly though, her? Shit, Mako. “Wait, how long ago was that?”

“Uhh,” Mako tried again. 

Asami grasped her chin in thought. “Four or five years ago, maybe? Why?”

“You cheated on  _ her _ to date  _ me? _ ” She was staring daggers at Mako and he really just looked like he wanted to die. 

“I-I....Bolin, help me.”

“Oh bro, you got yourself into this one.” Bolin looked like he was ready to get the popcorn out to watch this unfold. 

“Wait...Mako, didn’t you break up with me to get back with your ex?” Korra was honestly enjoying this now too, all her hard feelings had been gone years ago.

“You left  _ her _ for  _ me? _ ” Asami’s eyebrows were basically in her hairline and the two of them looked at each other before dissolving into laughter at the poor guy. 

“I think I’m going to go take a break,” Mako said and basically ran towards the front door with Bolin following. 

“Wow, that was something else. Small world, I guess.” Asami shook her head and laughed before finally looking around the room. “It’s looking really great, Korra. And you’re ahead of schedule? I might just hire you to do the whole house at this point.”

“Thank you, really.” It was always nice to hear that her work was appreciated but something about the way Asami was looking at her made Korra feel like it wasn’t just about her craft. “I should be done in just a few days and then you’ll be able to use your kitchen again.”

Asami hopped up onto the finished counter and let her long legs swing through the empty cabinet. “Bold of you to assume that I actually use my kitchen.”

Korra looked offended. “What? Why would you - why don’t you use your kitchen? Why remodel it?”

“I can’t cook,” she said with a shrug and leaned back on her hands. “I grew up with a chef and never needed to learn and now I just,” she shrugged again lamely. “I’m sure I could do it if I tried but I work a lot and takeout is generally easier.”

“You eat takeout for every meal and look like that?” Korra generally wasn’t so bold but fuck, Asami had an absolutely gorgeous body. “Ok, that’s it. When this kitchen is done I’m going to teach you how to cook.”

Asami leaned forward off her hands and smiled that wicked smile. “Sounds like a plan, but I’ll have you know I’m a very hands-on learner.”

A shiver ran up Korra’s spine but before she could reply the brothers came back in and Asami hopped off the counter to leave, ass swaying like she knew Korra was watching. 

Just a few more days and she wouldn’t be on Asami’s payroll anymore. Then she could test out...whatever it is that they were doing. 

______

“Bolin, I love you, but do we have to do this?” Korra was trying to find something to wear but just wasn’t feeling like going out tonight. 

“You’re not getting out of it, Korra!” He called from down the hall. “It’s your 25th birthday, it’s special! So we’re doing something special. You’ll look great in whatever you pick just come on! Opal is waiting for us.”

She threw on her regular clothes with a shrug that said fuck it and headed out. “So I finally get to meet her? It’s been what, two months now?”

“She’s been busy,” he bargained. “She’s bringing her best friend though, I hope you don’t mind. No idea who she is but apparently she never gets out either, so it’s perfect!”

“If she’s a friend of Opal’s I’m sure she’s great, Bo.” Korra tried to perk up a bit, never being able to stay annoyed at Bolin. She had finished the work on Asami’s kitchen the day before and while she wasn’t tired or anything, Korra kind of just wanted to sit at home for her birthday. Going to some loud, college kid packed bar didn’t exactly sound like a good time to her but with Bolin looking so giddy she couldn’t help but feel amped too. 

Opal turned out to be fucking adorable but also a tiny menace, having three shots each lined up for them when Korra and Bolin finally got to the bar. It wasn’t as crowded as Korra thought it would be and she breathed a little easier at not having to skirt around annoying frat boys. She waved off more shots as she let the liquor in her settle, not that Korra couldn’t handle her drinks, but she wasn’t exactly ready to get shitfaced before 10pm and not in front of Bolin’s new girlfriend. 

They talked and played some games of pool, somehow Bolin had gotten her to dance a little bit which was probably thanks to the alcohol, and Korra was actually having a lot of fun. It had been a while since she had gone out with friends and though it was only the three of them at the moment, it was really nice. Opal’s best friend hadn’t shown up yet so she got another round of shots for them, Korra stating that it would be her last for a while to keep her pace, and then somehow the conversation moved on to the fact that she had never gotten a lap dance. 

“Wait, seriously?” Opal said in shock. “You didn’t go to a strip club for your 21st birthday?”

“No?” She couldn’t really remember her 21st birthday but there definitely hadn’t been a strip club involved. “Is that a thing?”

“Oh it’s definitely a thing,” Bolin said. “You weren’t there for my 21st?”

Korra had to think for a second before shaking her head. “No, I had to go home, remember? My mom had that appendix thing.”

“Right.”

“Ok we are absolutely fixing this problem. Tonight.” Opal was determined and then looked behind Korra and squealed. “Asami! You made it!”

Korra turned so quick she nearly fell out of her chair. She only had a light buzz going but the second she saw those fucking green eyes it was like she was drunk on Asami. 

Fucking Asami was Opal’s best friend? 

“Small world, huh.” Asami said for the second time in two days once Opal had climbed off their hug. 

Opal looked between the two of them. “You guys know each other?”

“Yep,” Korra said quickly, “I just remodeled her kitchen. Bolin met her also.”

“Ohhh, so this is who you were-“

“Anyway, I guess I should be saying happy birthday?” Asami interrupted her friend's sentence and Opal squinted at her. 

Korra raised her empty shot glass in a cheers. “Thanks.”

“We were just talking about how Korra is 25 now and has never had a lap dance!” Sweet Bolin, always so excited, but now Korra just wanted to shrink under the bar. 

“Is that so?” That devious smile slid onto her face and Korra could feel her cheeks catch fire. 

“Oh. My.  _ Raava.” _ Opal’s eyes went wide and she practically bounced. “Asami, you have to give Korra a lap dance!”

“What?!” Korra didn’t squeak, she didn’t. 

She did. 

“She gives the best, I swear. In college...fuck,” she paused and shook Asami’s shoulder. “Do you remember Lambda Chi? I thought that kid's head was going to explode watching us.”

“Us?” Bolin asked with a raised brow. 

Opal kissed him on the cheek. “It was college honey. We wanted to give everyone a show. Honestly I’m pretty sure Asami turned me a little gay that night.”

“It was pretty fun,” Asami said with a devilish smirk, eyes raking over Korra as she downed the two shots Opal shoved into her hands. 

“You need to give her a lap dance, Asami.” Opal was pleading with her drunk eyes. “I’ll go butter up the DJ to put on something good.”

“Umm-“ Korra interjected, “I’m not getting a lap dance in the middle of a bar.” Not that the thought of Asami grinding on her body didn’t sound appealing, but she didn’t want people watching. That would be weird, right? But then Asami was leaning into her with that fresh smelling shampoo and her eyes playful. 

“Come on, Korra.” Her voice dripped with sin and Korra knew she was done for. “You’ll never see any of these college kids again. It’s just for you.”

She couldn’t even blame the alcohol for how she found herself sitting in a chair moments later, Asami standing in front of her slowly removing her jacket. 

What the fuck did she just get herself into. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Korra, what are you going to do?
> 
> These are what I picture for Asami's new kitchen, but a whole hell of a lot bigger.  
> https://www.pinterest.com/pin/8233211819991446/
> 
> https://www.pinterest.com/pin/8233211819991689/
> 
> My dad was a carpenter who owned his own custom cabinetry business and we had his shop in the backyard when I was a kid. He's still alive of course, just retired, so don't worry about the past tense.
> 
> I hope you're all enjoying!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we go.
> 
> Aka, 6k of gay.

With one quick glance around Korra was glad to find that no one was looking at her, or if they did they looked away quickly with disinterest. She didn’t understand how anyone could look away from Asami when she looked like that. Having not changed out of her corporate clothes Korra got to see that ass in those damn pressed pants and for the life of her she didn’t know when that had started to become her thing. 

Maybe Asami as a whole was her thing, but at the moment she couldn’t be bothered to think about it. 

The music changed and Asami started to sway her hips, and the entire world fell away. It was just them and the pulsing bass that vibrated through her body, or maybe the vibrations was her heart rate racing as green eyes edged closer to her. Korra held her breath as Asami came up and walked around her, finger trailing up her arm and brushed away strands of hair at the base of her neck. She shivered at the feel of a breath against the spot fingers had just brushed. 

“If you’re uncomfortable, just say cherry wood.”

The sincerity gripped her stomach but then pale hands were sliding over her shoulders and down between the valley of her breasts to rake nails over her abdomen and Korra grabbed onto the chair for dear life. There was nothing else to do. 

Long legs came back into her view as Asami really started to feel the beat, moving her body like she was dancing fire, lighting Korra aflame and consuming her. That perky ass she stared at all too often was in her direct line of sight and she lost herself in the view but much too soon for her liking, Asami was turning around and slinking towards her, throwing a long, creamy leg over her lap and getting mighty comfortable. 

She started a slow grind that popped with the music and Korra stopped breathing. She was on fire, her whole body screaming  _ Asami Asami Asami. _ Thankfully and sadly at the same time, the body left her lap to sway in front of her once more and she used that time to take a breath. Korra had been roped in, wondering what she had ever done to deserve torture like this. 

Because that’s what Asami was and had been for over the last two months, endless torture of want and need. Every movement had her throat dry and cracking, begging for a watery reprieve, but there was no water here. She could feel her knuckles turning white from her grip as Asami turned and pushed her legs apart with unsurprising force, throwing her foot up on the chair in the crevice between Korra’s shivering legs. She wondered if Asami could feel the heat radiating from where she knew all the wetness in her mouth had gone. 

Her eyes didn’t know where to stay, maybe on Asami’s own? No, she couldn’t handle the hunger in them, not yet. She was sitting prey and Asami was the scavenging predator. Korra followed the line of that pale neck as she bent down and got a glorious view of a creamy chest, she didn’t know when Asami had unbuttoned her shirt but then an ass was in her face again and her mind turned to mush. 

Asami bent down slowly to grasp her ankle but then whipped her head around and that fucking  _ hair. _ Korra only got a whiff of the clean smelling shampoo before that ass was in her lap, Asami looking away and rocking her hips back in tandem with the rhythm. Her hips begged to reciprocate but Korra was hanging on to every fiber of her self control, Asami hadn’t told her she could touch. She may never have gotten a lap dance before, and oh fuck why was that, but she at least knew the rules. 

It had been a game for them since the beginning anyway, who could stay in control. Asami was the devil incarnate and pushed her limits, but Korra had morals. But when Asami started bouncing on her lap like she was fucking a toy Korra nearly lost it. She slapped a hand to her mouth to stop her moan and her hips were so close to betraying her control. 

“Let me hear you, Korra.”

And oh fuck that voice, her hips lost their battle and they jerked at the pure sex dripping from Asami’s voice. She was afraid the action was too much because that ass wasn’t on her lap anymore but then Asami was straddling her again and grinding to the beat. It was so much, everything was overwhelming her senses. The sound thudded and the raspy voice soaked into her bones, the feel of Asami’s weight on top of her, holding her down. A pale hand took her own away from her mouth and Asami tilted Korra’s head back by her chin so they could lock eyes before she sucked two fingers into her mouth. 

“Oh _FUCK.”_ There was no way she could have held that back and her cheeks were screaming at her, Asami gave her the most devastating smile before going back to work on her fingers and holy shit how did that feel so good? Probably because it was Asami. 

She could feel the song coming to an end and the mouth on her fingers let go, Asami running her hands up the sides of Korra’s arms before grabbing two fist fulls of her short hair and tilting her head back to expose her neck. 

She couldn’t use her hand to stop the keening moan and she could feel the smile ghost her neck. 

“You can unwrap the rest of your present later.” Her head went dizzy as all her blood rushed south and she squirmed with need. 

“A-and what’s that?” Korra almost was embarrassed by the break in her voice but Asami knew her power.

A single bite to her ear lobe shouldn’t have had her quivering like that but it did. 

“Me.”

Korra closed her eyes slowly and took a deep breath. Fuck.  _ Fuck fuck fuck, _ how? How did the epitome of perfection want her? Her heart and other places were throbbing, mind racing, hands needing to touch as the hot weight of Asami left her lap, she couldn’t dare watch her walk away. She couldn’t chase yet, she needed to get back in control. 

Korra knew this would come to a head eventually, they had been flirting for far too long now, and Asami was someone who got what she wanted. Not in a bad way, over the course of their interactions Korra had only seen greatness and kindness in that devilish woman, but she was a force to be reckoned with. She had just been waiting for the ethical point to pass, since she had to have barriers put up while she worked, but now that was done. 

She could give in now. 

“So?!” Opal’s voice brought her out of replaying the last what, five minutes? It felt like a mix between seconds and years, simultaneously never ending but way too short for her liking. 

“It was - nice.” Her voice cracked and the sweat she had built up started to chill on her neck. 

“Nice?” Opal was looking at her so incredulously she almost laughed. “Korra, I’m pretty sure they could feel that tension in Ba Sing Se.”

Korra ignored her and looked around, pausing momentarily to see Bolin blushing and leaning against the counter awkwardly. Yea, she understood that. “Where’d she go?”

“Home,” she said with a smile. “Something about having a project due tomorrow that she forgot about.” A smirk dropped onto Opal’s face and she cocked a hip. “You know you sat there like an idiot with your eyes closed for like, five minutes.”

Though they had only just met tonight, Korra really liked Opal. She told it like it is and that was hard to find in people, it made sense why she was best friends with Asami. 

Asami. 

“I gotta go,” Korra said and stood up quickly, slightly woozy from her blood rushing around frantically. “Thank you both for being here, I’ll see you later.”

She ignored their knowing smirks before rushing out into the cool night air, the freshness waking her up out of her lust filled brain for a moment but she was still on a mission. It wasn’t that far to Asami’s and Korra could just run, but she had a feeling she would need her energy, so she hailed a cab. 

Her breath was steady and her hand only slightly shaky when she lifted it to knock on that front door, and when Asami opened it with a small smile her brain turned to sawdust. 

“Korra,” she drawled so sweetly like she hadn’t just fucked her lap twenty minutes ago. “What can I do for you?”

Think, Korra. “I was thinking we could use that new kitchen of yours. You hungry?”

“Yes.” And they both knew it wasn’t for food. 

Korra was actually a little hungry and so when Asami hopped onto the counter she went to look in the fridge for some little snack she could make, both to push out the time and their need, and also because she needed some fuel. Asami looked determined. 

“You have a lot of food for someone who doesn’t cook.”

“I got bored and went shopping.” She leaned back in her hands and watched Korra grab the strawberries and sour cream from the fridge. 

“Do you have-“ she looked up and down in the pantry and saw her target. “Right here.” 

Korra slid out of her jacket and placed it on the counter next to Asami before putting up what she could of her hair. She held back her grin as green eyes watched her arms move, Korra knew that Asami loved her biceps, so of course she flexed them a little extra while she washed the strawberries and got bowls out for the other ingredients. 

“Sour cream and brown sugar?” Asami asked with a cocked eyebrow. 

Korra turned and threw her an easy grin. “Just trust me on this.”

At home she would usually just scoop the berry through the cream and dip it into the sugar but she felt compelled to make it look nice and presentable. She worked in silence as Asami watched, cutting off the tops and slicing the berries in half to put a dollop on each and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Perfect. 

“Opal said you have a project due tomorrow?” She held the plate in front of Asami and waited. Though the lusty cloud that muddled her brain earlier was gone, she still wanted her. That’s what she was here for, right? And clearly Asami wanted it too or she never would have opened the door at 11 o’clock at night. They were circling each other, waiting to see who would take the bait first. 

She smirked. “I always have projects due.” She popped a berry into her mouth and she looked surprised. “Shit that’s good.”

Korra popped one into her own and smiled, they were good. “Told you.”

“Don’t count this as your offer to teach me how to cook.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” They were almost done, Korra having only done a few berries on purpose so they didn’t get full. The sour cream could get pretty heavy and since they had drinks earlier it might not be the best idea to load up on anything. 

She popped the last one into her mouth and rinsed off the plate in the sink, turning back to Asami who was smiling at her. “You have some sugar on your - here I’ll get it.” 

She held her hand out like she was going to wipe it off with a thumb but once Korra was close enough the hand went around her neck and Asami was leaning in, pausing when they were a breath apart. When Korra gulped she just grinned and closed the gap. 

It was tender and so soft, unlike the momentum that they had garnished earlier at the bar. If they had kissed then it would have been all teeth and tongue, but now they had time, they had their heads in the game. As those aching soft lips moved against her own Korra instinctively reached out to hold onto something and she smiled into those lips when Asami gasped at the contact on her waist. 

Asami returned in kind by threading her fingers through the bits of hair not in a ponytail to bring them closer, hot and needy. 

That’s more like it. 

Korra deepened the kiss, sucking slightly on Asami’s bottom lip to get her to open up and then slipping her tongue through. A small moan egged her on and she pulled her closer at the waist, impossibly closer, but then hands were pulling her head back and Asami was blazing a hot trail up her jaw and behind her ear. It was all so good, so damn good and Korra let herself groan when lips reached that sensitive spot above her collarbone. Asami nibbled the spot expertly and then moved to mirror her actions on the other side. Korra’s hands had a mind of their own and she slipped them under that perfectly pressed white button up to run her hands over soft skin. 

She could feel goosebumps explode at her touch and Asami sucked hard at that same, sensitive spot, and Korra was slowly turning into a blubbering mess. 

“Do you want your present now?” Asami husked into her ear and it sent electricity down her spine. 

She closed her eyes for a moment. Control, Korra. “Where’s your bedroom?”

Asami pulled back to look her in the eye, curious but spoke anyway. “Up the stairs, last door on the left.”

That was all she needed and the Korra bent slightly, pulling and throwing Asami over her shoulder in one smooth movement. She yelped but didn’t fight it so Korra smacked her ass and got walking. 

“I knew you liked my ass.” Asami was sliding her hands up and down Korra’s back, no doubt feeling the muscles coil with her gait and just to finally be able to touch. So she smacked her ass again for good measure and the scrapes she got in response made Korra’s legs speed up. 

Why the fuck was this room so far away. 

They finally got there and Korra kicked the door shut behind her, then somewhat (not at all) gingerly placed Asami on the bed. She sat up, nostrils flaring with her deep breaths, and watched Korra rip her own shirt off in one smooth motion. 

“Shit,” she whispered and grabbed the hem of her own shirt. 

“Ah ah ah, I don’t think so.” Korra grabbed her hands and pulled them away. “You’re mine to unwrap.”

Asami whimpered.  _ That’s it. _

Korra dropped to her knees in front of her, reverent, and slid her hands up strong calves, over thighs and up to the bottom button of that white shirt. She had never gone so slow before, but she wanted to milk every aching second from Asami. Those eyes that had caught her immediately from the first moment and every one after that basically pleaded to go faster, but this was her show right now. 

She stood up and pulled Asami with her, planting open kisses over that collarbone while she popped open the last button and slid it over shoulders, careful to add pressure everywhere she could. It was a good choice, she could feel Asami’s pulse spike as she dragged the pads of her fingers over tender skin down down down to the buttons of those stupid pressed pants but stopped before they popped open. She smiled into that neck when Asami groaned and moved behind her, mouth leaving open, hot kisses along the way. 

She moved that sweet smelling hair to the side, moving her hands down to grasp those hips she knew now fit so perfectly in her hands. She pulled Asami to her, biting ever so softly at the base of her neck and Korra had to hold her up as her knees buckled slightly. 

“Spirits, Korra.” Her breath was shaking with want and Korra ran her hands back to that button to pop it open. She bit and licked her way to Asami’s ear, suckling on the lobe quickly before whispering. 

“Finish the job for me?” And she stepped back to sit on the edge of the bed and watch. 

She could play that vision of Asami swaying her ass out of those pants on repeat for the rest of her life, Korra decided, and she would be content. When Asami turned to walk towards her, the thought of how many times she would see that flashed across her mind. 

“What’s wrong?” Asami could sense the change in her demeanor somehow and Korra grabbed both her hands. 

“I just have to ask,” Korra said as she rubbed soft circles over pale skin. “Is this a one-time thing for you? It’s ok if it is, I just-“

“Korra,” Asami cut her off and took her hand away to tilt her chin further up. “It’s not for me. I’ve been trying to break down your walls for a while but you’re not so easily corrupted it seems.”

Her brows furrowed. “Corrupted?”

Asami laughed and climbed into her lap, and oh how well she fits there. “Yea, corrupted. You were all noble and didn’t want to do anything while you were on my payroll, I get it.”

“You noticed that, huh?” She could look into those sparkly green eyes and never tire of it. 

“I notice everything about you.”

Well if that didn’t light her on fire. Korra grabbed Asami’s ass and pulled her in flush, crashing their lips together and all discussions were set aside for another time. The only thing that mattered was hands pulling at her sports bra and lifting it off, then a hand was on her chest pushing her towards the bed. 

“My turn.”

She could have argued but her efforts would have been futile. Those eyes kept her locked in place and Asami pulled her pants off quickly, huffing out an almost thankful breath at the loose joggers. It was always such a bitch to take off skinny jeans. Her underwear came off in one swift motion and she had that feeling of being prey once more. It sent jolts of pleasure through her. 

“Up,” Asami commanded and pointed backwards into the bed and she did as she was told. Korra raised up on her elbows to watch as Asami took off her bra and slid out of her panties. She only had a second to think  _ ‘boobs’ _ but then her breath caught when the bed dipped and that devilish smile was crawling towards her. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Korra replied with a laugh but was shut up when Asami claimed her mouth and yea, that was probably a better idea. She let out a soft moan when that lithe body rested on hers and she wrapped her arms around Asami’s waist. She smiled into the kiss before deepening it so perfectly Korra had to pull her in tighter. Her senses were overloading at all of the touches and feelings from tonight and when those lips left her own to start a trail down her body Korra shuddered. 

Asami took a nipple into her mouth and sucked hard, baring a little bit of teeth and Korra cried out at the sensation. She repeated the action on the other side quickly before popping off. “I’ll come back to you later,” she whispered to the risen nipple and left a blazing fire of kisses down past her aching center. Korra closed her eyes and groaned, of course Asami would be a little shit and tease her. What else was new, right? She kept her eyes closed as Asami kissed, bit, and sucked on her thighs. She was sure there would be plenty of hickeys there tomorrow.

“Hey.”

She looked down and Asami winked before licking straight through her center.  _ Finally. _ Asami hummed in agreement and Korra hadn’t realized she said that aloud, but she couldn’t think of anything at the moment besides the hot tongue circling her clit so perfectly. She was already so pent up from the last hour or so and with a few determined flicks Korra was gripping the bed sheets and tumbling into oblivion. 

Through her haze of bliss Korra felt a steady pressure on her clit and was eternally grateful, but then there was something rubbing up and down her wet folds so she looked down to see Asami smirking at her. Oh, it wasn’t over. She raised up on her elbows again and watched Asami sink two fingers in, she hissed at the stretch. 

“You ok?” Asami asked and laid her head on Korra’s thigh. 

She nodded. “Yea,” her stomach flipped at the sight. Fuck she’s gorgeous, coated in slick and hungry for more. “It’s good, Asami. Please.” Her hips bucked and Asami curled inside her. “Shit, so good.”

Fingers started a slow but steady pace, Asami watching her stomach clench and face scrunch in pleasure. “I want to hear you.”

Whatever she wants, Korra will give, so when that tongue dove back in to join the fingers she cried out and threw her head back. “A-asami, fuck right there.” She could feel everything start to tighten again and her voice acted of its own accord chanting  _ Asami _ and  _ so good _ over and over again. Korra could tell this was going to be fucking intense and her hand flew to silky black hair to keep Asami in place as her vision went white. 

Her stomach hurt by the time Korra came down from her high and she wanted to laugh at how good it was. “Holy shit, Asami. How did you even...” she couldn’t even think of words to describe what just happened and Asami just kissed her hip in reply. She felt the loss of fingers inside her but looked down when the bed dipped signaling that the other body had left. 

“Where are you going?”

“Relax, Korra,” she said softly and dug around her closet for something. “Come here.”

Korra climbed off the bed a little awkwardly, body still a little numb and wet, but then Asami turned around with a strap on in her hand and suddenly she was at full power again. 

“Is that for you or me?” Please be another birthday gift, please. 

“Put it on and we’ll find out.” Shit, that almost made her cum again. She walked over and took it eagerly which earned her a kiss on the cheek before Asami sauntered away. 

Korra slipped on the straps, fumbling a bit with how to tighten them, but then she turned around and it was time for her knees to buckle. Asami was already in bed, propped up on one elbow waiting. She’s so fucking beautiful Korra just wanted to sit there and stare at her all night, but then Asami was rolling onto her stomach and sticking that perky ass into the air and Korra got the point. 

She walked up from behind and drank in the sight, Asami absolutely dripping for her, ass high in the sky, her back lined perfectly with strong muscles. She climbed onto the bed and massaged her way up those calves and thighs while dragging her mouth up the lines of that milky back. Fuck even her sweat tasted sweet and Korra couldn’t wait to see what else she tasted like. Scooting back just a little, Korra ran her hands up and over smooth ass cheeks and she wanted to drool.  _ Stay in control, Korra _ . Be patient. 

She could see goosebumps rise at her soft touch and leaned in slowly to place a kiss on either side of Asami’s entrance, laughing softly when she jerked at the feeling. 

“You going to sit back there all night or...?”

Korra smacked her ass lightly and got lost in the jiggle. “It’s my turn.” But then she dove in, grabbing those hips and driving her tongue inside quickly before pulling out and moving down to swipe along that bundle of nerves. Fueled by cries of pleasure, Korra hummed at the taste as she worked, Asami bucking back into her face and it was messy but so fucking hot. 

She gave a few final flicks of her tongue before straightening back up and aligning the toy with Asami’s entrance. “Ready?”

“Come on, hurry up.” She had to admit, impatient Asami was really cute. Korra pushed in slowly, watching the dildo sink in easily with how wet she was, and Asami grabbed a fist full of sheets. 

“You ok?”

“Korra?”

“Hmm?” Shit, that ass was just so-

“Just fuck me already.”

Her hips acted of their own accord and hilted the rest of the toy deep inside, Asami crying out at the pressure. Korra pulled out slightly to test the waters and a pale hand grabbed her hip to slam her back in. Oh no you don’t. Korra took the hand and held it tight, smacking an already pink cheek before rolling her hips smoothly. She watched, completely entranced, at the bounce every time she thrusted and soon enough Asami was meeting her rhythm perfectly. She couldn’t feel the dildo inside but the sight alone of Asami fucking herself on the toy brought out something primal in her and Korra lost the last bit of control she had. 

She grabbed those hips and plowed in and out, fueled by the sounds Asami was making with every thrust and the way her fists clenched sheets like she was holding on for dear life. Korra was too, somewhere in the back of her mind she worried that the death grip she had on those creamy thighs would bruise but Asami didn’t seem to be complaining. She grabbed a pillow and stuck it underneath them, pushing Asami flat onto the bed while never stopping her thrusts, and the change in position must have really done it. 

“O-oh fuck, Korra!” That made her primal instincts take over every neuron in her brain and Korra pinned her down by the small of her back, fucking her hard and steady until Asami’s entire body tensed and a hand flew back to grab her wrist. Korra slammed in one last time and stayed still while the body beneath her twitched. She tried to catch her breath from the exertion and as the seconds dragged on without Asami saying anything she started to worry but then a hand was pushing her body away and she pulled out. 

She laid down next to Asami, who was breathing just as hard as she was, and moved the hair out of her face. “You ok?”

Asami breathed deep through her nose and held up a finger so Korra waited. 

“I cannot believe-“ Asami took another shaking, deep breath, “-you made me wait-“ she gulped “-over two months...for  _ that.” _

Korra couldn’t help it and she burst out laughing, having been afraid that she hurt Asami somehow and just hadn’t read a sign to stop. “Decent then?”

Asami looked her dead in the eye, unamused. “Get on your back.”

Yes ma’am. Korra laid on her back and Asami climbed on top, not taking a second hesitation before sinking entirely back onto the toy and her eyes fluttered shut as she let herself stretch. When she opened them back up, green was almost replaced entirely by black. Holy shit. 

She placed a hand on each side of Korra’s sternum and started to tilt her hips and slide back down. “I have never,” tilt and slide, “in my life,” tilt and slide, “been fucked so hard,” tilt and slide, “or so good.” She picked up the pace and sat up to get a better angle as she started to bounce faster. “Never. So good, Korra, fuck.” Her eyes slammed shut and Korra had never seen something so exquisite. Perfect boobs with the sweetest pink nipples bounced in tandem with Asami and her face was in the throes of ecstasy. 

Korra ran her hands down flexing thighs and grabbed that fantastic ass. Spirits, Asami really had the most perfect ass and she couldn’t get over it. The next time she tilted and started to slide down Korra snapped her hips up to drive the toy as deep as it could go. 

Asami screamed so beautifully at the disruption in her motion and opened her eyes to lock onto Korra. Her hips faltered only for a second before they both started to meet each other with every thrust, never breaking eye contact. Korra was lost in a sea of green and didn’t want to be saved, so long as it meant she could be right here. Every snap of her hips made those boobs bounce magnificently and Asami’s mouth dropped to make a beautiful ‘o’ shape. She had never held someone’s else’s gaze like this while they had sex and Korra felt like they were realigning the cosmos with every thrust. 

“Come on,” she begged, hands lifting and pulling that ass while her hips drove up hard. Her stomach and legs were trying to fight it but she wouldn’t stop until Asami came again. A pale hand left her chest and she watched as Asami started to circle her own clit, eyes finally shutting to focus on the sensation undoubtedly filling her. It only took a few deep, hard thrusts and Asami’s legs were clenching and shaking at her sides and that mouth was open wide in a silent scream. 

Korra rubbed those soft legs while Asami twitched on top of her, words couldn’t describe how beautiful a sight she was. Green eyes slowly blinked open and Asami smiled before bending down and giving her a few gentle kisses. She slumped into Korra’s neck and they both tried to catch their breath, completely comfortable just being wrapped up in each other’s hot, sweaty bodies. 

“Korra, you just-“ Asami panted and swallowed hard. “Shit, I knew you were going to be good but I didn’t think it’d be this good.”

“You thought I’d be good?” Korra was amused and honestly a little curious, but obviously proud. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t been told that a time or two, but hearing it from Asami...well it just meant something more. 

Asami nodded into her neck and placed hot kisses along that tender stretch of flesh before sitting up, toy still sheathed in her. She started to rock slowly, one hand braced on Korra’s thigh behind her and one placed on a tan torso. The movement hit Korra’s clit just right and she knew Asami was doing this for her.  _ Shit. _

“The way you carry yourself,” Asami said as she rocked and her sex-riddled voice had Korra shivering, “you just have this easy confidence and it’s so - fuck - attractive.” Korra watched as her stomach muscles danced with each rock, knowing it felt good for her too. “Your muscles are just...I don’t even know how. You’re so strong but so feminine. I’ve wanted you from the second-“ Korra rolled her hips up to meet Asami’s and that shut her up for a few paces until she got control of herself, “from the second I saw you under the hood of that truck, burning your stupid finger...”

“I knew you liked my muscles,” Korra said with a wink, mirroring what Asami had said earlier. She tucked her arms behind her head, giving the girl riding her a perfect view of her flexed abs and biceps. 

“Spirits,” she muttered before placing both hands back onto Korra’s chest and starting to ride her heart out. The look of determination in her eyes almost had Korra cumming right there and then, which she didn’t really see as a bad thing. 

______

Korra was incredibly sore all over when she woke up that next morning, but she did so with a smile. She rubbed her face into the softest sheets she’s ever felt in her life and turned to say good morning but Asami wasn’t anywhere to be found. A note was left on the pillow beside her and Korra smiled even harder at it. 

_ ‘You sleep like a fucking rock. Come find me when you wake up, sleepyhead. - A’ _

Korra rolled onto her back and stretched, feeling every tense muscle clench oh so deliciously from the workout the night before. And  _ fuck, _ what a workout. Asami was an absolute monster in the best way possible and had made Korra cum again and again until she had to tap out. It was beautiful, Asami was beautiful, and she really wouldn’t mind waking up like this every day. Well, besides the fact that the sex demon wasn’t there in bed with her. If she was then maybe they could cuddle for a bit before having some slow morning sex. The thought made her shiver and get out of bed. 

Korra put all her clothes back on minus her boxers, which honestly were probably ruined after the lap dance from last night, and headed out to look for Asami. 

_ Was it right or left at this door? _ Korra was sort of lost in the huge fucking house and all she could really think was  _ fucking rich people. _ Somehow she made it to the ground floor and from there it was easy. Korra could hear a weird alarm muffled in the distance and checked the time on her phone which had still been in her pants pocket. She smiled at how quickly they had left her body last night and read the 8:23am. She headed towards the kitchen, wondering if someone would really try and break into someone’s house this early, and went in search of coffee. 

Korra was just going to let Asami come to her because there was no way she was going to go look around the house and get lost, it wasn’t worth her time. The alarm got louder as she walked towards the back of the house and something about it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Her senses were on alert as she walked towards the back door, the alarm was definitely coming from this house, and Korra scanned out back before opening the door. 

The alarm was coming from Asami’s shop and Korra’s legs had started sprinting before her brain had even caught up. 

Fuck fuck fuck fuck was all she could think about and didn’t even know what to expect when she slammed open the door but then it took all of her control to stay upright. 

“Oh please, no.” 

Asami was pinned under a car, only visible from her belly button up and Korra dropped to her side. She was looking around, confused, until she saw Korra. “Asami, I-I’m going to get you out of here.” 

“Korra.” Asami whispered and she had to drag her eyes away from the vacant expression in those green she loved. Korra fumbled for her phone and dialed 911 with shaking fingers. 

_ ‘911 what’s your emergency?’ _

“25 year old female crushed from the waist down under a car. We’re at the Sato Mansion on-“

_ ‘Ma’am, EMS and Fire have already been alerted. Can you tell me the condition she is in?’ _

Korra thanked the spirits for rich people, that must have been what the alarm was, a trigger to alert for emergency help. “She’s awake but in shock. I, uhh, I can’t see anything under her but there’s no blood anywhere visible. She’s pale and clammy.” Pale, so, so pale.

_ ‘Can you check her pulse, ma’am? It’s loca-‘ _

Korra stopped listening and felt for the pulse on Asami’s neck. “It’s faint but racing. What’s ETA on medics?”

_ ‘They’re about a minute out ma’am.’ _

“We’re in the back shop, tell them to bust down whatever fucking door they need to get out here.” Click. 

Korra took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. She was no stranger to injuries and shock, she had seen it many times living in the tundra and the harsh conditions people found themselves in. Yet with all that, it was never with someone she cared for. 

“They’re going to be here soon, Asami.” She tried to soothe and brushed back that silky black hair. “You’re going to be ok.”

“Korra, don’t leave me,” Asami turned to her with wide, dilated eyes. “Please don’t leave me.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” She could hear crashing behind her and Korra needed them to move a whole lot fucking faster. “I’m here, Asami. You’re going to be ok.”

“Korra,” she said with cold, vacant eyes. “Korra, I can’t feel my legs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no words for y'all but I'm sorry.
> 
> So this is the song I imagine Asami giving her lap dance to, I just wish it was longer. Feel free to have your own headcanon of the song, though.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRRRWIabYcw
> 
> I don't even like strawberries but the sour cream/brown sugar combo is heavenly, try it out.
> 
> Oh and as for the medical: people who are in shock from a traumatic injury are likely to seem confused but lucid, like Asami here. Take for example people who have been in serious car accidents can sometimes be seen getting out of their car and walking around because they feel disconnected/numb from the pain of their injuries.


	4. Chapter 4

If Korra ever believed in out of body experiences, this is what she imagined it would be like. The second Fire and EMS came through the doors she was up and away from the only place she wanted to be, right next to Asami, but she knew her place. It was though she watched the scene not from her own eyes but from a far off world, where this actually wasn’t happening, where she might just wake up and roll over to see those green eyes looking at her through groggy lenses. But that wasn’t so. 

A medic had spoken to her while the fire department set up their jacks to lift the car off Asami, but she only half listened. What else could she do? She was useless while the woman who had so incredibly came into her life was being strapped into a c-collar, dull eyes roaming her only line of sight, an IV hanging halfheartedly from her ghostly pale arm. Her stomach lurched when the car slowly started to raise but it was as if someone was holding her head, forcing her to watch in abject horror. Once it was up enough to pull her out everything moved so fast. Asami went unconscious when the car lifted off her, for which Korra was thankful so she didn’t have to be afraid anymore, and then she was up on a stretcher and being rushed to the ambulance. 

Korra followed in a daze, back into her own mind from the out of body experience, and ran behind the medics. 

“Ma’am, you can’t come with us,” the medic who tried to speak to her earlier said. 

She had a split second. “Fiancée! She’s my fiancée,” the two medics looked at each other, “I’m all she has.”

She hopped in without waiting for their response, because it was true, Korra was all she had. She would deal with the lying later, no one really had to know, but there wasn’t anyone on this earth who Korra would let take Asami out of her sight. 

Well, maybe one person. 

The medics worked on switching Asami’s IV and stabilizing her breaks, so Korra pulled out her phone and tried not to think of what lay underneath that tender skin she got to know so well last night. 

How did that already seem so far away?

She pushed dial and it rang twice.  _ ‘Korra, how are you ki-‘ _

“Kya please tell me you’re in Republic City.” She had no time for pleasantries, Korra could see that they were close to the hospital. 

_ ‘I am. What’s going on?’ _ Her tone dropped to serious, thankfully. 

“You need to come to Republic Gen, now. My,” she looked at the medics, “fiancée was crushed under a car and you’re the only ortho surgeon I trust.”

_ ‘We’ll discuss the fiancée later but I’ll be there in 15. Tell them to keep her pelvis strapped and get her hooked to an ECG immed-what am I saying, they won’t listen to you. Keep your head up kid, I’ll be there ASAP.’ _ Click. 

The ambulance came to a stop and she jumped out, moving out of the way but following hot on their footsteps in through the emergency doors. What seemed to be every nurse and doctor flocked to the gurney and Asami was hidden in a mass of scrubs and white coats. 

“Ok!” A doctor called to the group and they all listened while they worked. “Her BP is dropping so let’s make sure to be ready if she crashes. We’re going up to OR-3, we’ve got Kya coming in so let’s get things ready for her!” 

Absolutely no one paid Korra any mind as they whisked away someone she had, in the grand scheme of things, spent so little time with. Yet as she leaned against a wall with her eyes closed, sliding down until she hit the floor, Korra couldn’t help but feel like a little piece of her heart went into that OR as well. Asami had captured her right from the start and all she wanted to do was wake up next to her and cook some breakfast together, but clearly life always has other plans. 

_ I’m not going anywhere, Asami, _ was all she repeated in her head until someone came to move her out of the way. 

_ I’m all she has, _ Korra said like a mantra. 

_ And she has all of me. _

______

The constant, echoing buzz of the hospital almost helped Korra through the nine hours she sat in the waiting room without answers. She trusted Kya with her life, clearly, but she had never felt so helpless. 

She almost toppled over her own feet when she saw Kya finally exit the elevator to the main floor, pulling off her surgical cap with an exhausted look. 

“Kya!” Her voice echoed through the buzz and she ran right up to the woman. “How - how is she.”

Kya rested a hand on her shoulder and smiled, which finally released some of the tension in her stomach. “She’s a fighter, I can tell you that much. A little longer under that car and she might have lost her legs.”

And then the tension was back. “She said she couldn’t feel her legs,” Korra said, throat thick. “Is she-“ but the doctor was already shaking her head. 

“Somehow she had no damage to her spine,” Kya said with an even tone, “but her pelvis was in pieces and both of her femurs snapped.” She cringed a little at being gory but carried on. “Bones are relatively easy to fix but with crush injuries there’s a lot more to it. Essentially when the muscles are compressed under something for a time and then the weight is lifted off, it releases a lot of substances from the muscles such as lactic acid and potassium in far larger amounts than normal. With those all flowing through the body it creates tissue hypoxia, metabolic acidosis, and dysrhythmias.”

“English, Kya.” She loved the woman, but damn if she didn’t get stuck inside that doctor brain of hers sometimes. 

“Bad shit, Korra,” she said flatly. “The chemicals released after decompression create issues that lead to organ failure from the hypoxia and cardiac arrest from the dysthymia. Asami was on the brink of everything the whole time, but she was very lucky. It’s not over yet, not even close, but she will push through. We put intermedullary rods down both femurs to heal the bones in place but we'll have to wait a few days to plate her pelvis. At about hour four she-”

Korra could feel herself go white and shaky the longer Kya spoke, only barely hearing things such as  _ ‘breathing issues,’ _ and  _ ‘blood loss.’ _

“Kid, snap out of it!” Kya had a hand on her shoulder and was waving the other in front of her face. “Do you need to sit down?”

She ignored the question. “Kya - what if...what if she didn’t have that alarm system?” Korra finally looked up into the woman’s eyes and they held nothing but empathy. “I wouldn’t have gone to look for her if I didn’t hear it. What if - shit...she wouldn’t have-“

“Stop,” Kya said softly, “you know better than anyone that we can’t dwell on what  _ could _ have happened.” She placed both hands on her shoulders now and squeezed. “Are you serious about her?”

Korra thought about the night before, how after they were finished, she and Asami laid together and talked. Just talked. Little things, big things, things that didn’t matter; something about it sewed itself along her heart, the intimacy and simplicity of that balance; being so wild and nearly out of control to soft whispers and sleepy, raspy laughs. 

“More serious than I’ve ever been about anyone.”

“Good,” Kya said with a nod, “come on, let’s go talk about what’s going to happen over the next few weeks with your fiancée.”

Korra groaned and shuffled her feet, suddenly realizing how bone tired she was. “That stays between us, do you understand?” She jogged to catch up and nudged the woman. “It was the only way they would let me on the ambulance. I wasn’t letting her out of my sight.”

“Whatever you say, kid.”

______

Korra kicked her toe at the floor as she waited. These damn five - no - six...? However many days since the worst morning of her life, Korra had waited for anything. Currently she was stuck outside Asami’s room while they tried to wake her up again, because the last three times the doctors tried they had to sedate her immediately because of how much stress it put on her. Korra felt like a petulant child, kicking and scuffing the ground, but she didn’t have anything else to do since she wasn’t allowed in the room in case something happened. 

The last few days had been less than pleasant but she was really trying to keep her head up, for Asami. She’s had two more surgeries, one to put plates on her pelvis and another because she had gotten an infection from a nicked bowel. It was a process that Korra knew all too well, but knowing what she went through hardly helped in this situation. Each time she sat by Asami’s comatose side she promised to call her parents and thank them once more for what they went through. 

The police had come sometime the day after the accident to get a report of what she had seen, which made her shaky and numb all over again, but they had to do it for the investigation as to what went wrong. They returned a few hours later with a report of what happened and it just turned out that the power jack Asami used in that shop was just old. 

Korra almost laughed at that. Almost. 

How on earth could Asami be using old machinery? She’s CEO of a global corporation that builds those power jacks, yet she was still using something that wasn’t state of the art? Korra just added that to the list of questions she would ask once those green eyes opened once more. 

Korra sucked in a breath when she remembered the part where the Chief said from the time the malfunction alarm went off to when medics arrived was 14 minutes and 37 seconds. Asami had been under that car for nearly a quarter of an hour. Shame and utter nausea washed over Korra’s body every time she thought of it because  _ what if. _ Kya can say what she wanted but there wasn’t a way Korra could just not think about what would have happened if there wasn’t an alarm. How alone Asami would have been under there, scared, in pain? Her stomach roiled as she tried to push all the bad thoughts down. She needed to be alert and present. She needed to be there for Asami. 

This was only the beginning of what she knew would be a hell of a tough journey, but Korra was ready. She was here for it, for whatever was needed to do to get Asami better. 

The door opened and her head snapped up so quick she felt her neck crack, but Kya was smiling and she felt like air. 

“She’s asking for you.”

______

It was an unpleasant feeling, really, to feel like she was being dragged under water again and again. Or maybe it felt like being sucked through a black hole, whatever that might feel like. Asami couldn’t exactly name the sensation in her body but she just felt dense, like her body was pure lead. It could have been seconds or hours that she went back and forth on what the sensation was but eventually something in the back of her mind told her to open her eyes.  _ Just open them, _ it said,  _ you’ll be ok. _

So she tried, and the first few blinks were tiny and painful, as though a flashlight was being shined in her eye. She tried again and it was a little easier but everything was still so bright. It was annoying, Asami hated exceedingly bright lights. Was she outside for some reason? Had she fallen asleep in her backyard? No, that didn’t make sense, so she tried again. 

There were people now...in white coats...and blue scrubs? Asami closed her eyes as hard as she could, hoping the pressure would spring them back open and keep them open. She regretted it. 

She thrashed at the sight, or tried to at least, of her bed surrounded by doctors and nurses. She was in the hospital, why was she in the hospital? Why was she hooked up to every damn machine in the place. 

“Asami, you need to relax,” a doctor said and she absolutely did not relax. “I’m Dr. Kya, I know you’re scared but I’m going to take care of you.”

“Wha-?” Asami rasped out but the doctor started to shake her head. 

“Just relax, please.” She was surprisingly soothing and Asami tried to relax, but it was hard. Everything felt tense, well, what she could feel anyway. Now that she thought of it, Asami couldn’t feel anything and it made her panic even more. She could hear her heartbeat rise on the monitors and the doctor pressed a button to turn the volume down. 

“You are on a lot of pain medication so you can’t feel anything,” Dr. Kya said knowingly. “Do you remember what happened?”

Asami thought hard about the last thing she remembered, but her brain was like mud.  _ Think, Asami, think. _ There was something - waking up hot and sore, held by something. But by what, or who? It was starting to make her head hurt thinking so hard but then a pair of blue eyes flashed in her brain. “Korra.”

“What about her?” 

“Wh-where’s Korra?” Why wasn’t she in here? What happened? Did Korra get hurt too? Were they in an accident? “Is she ok?”

Dr. Kya smiled. “She’s fine, she’s waiting outside. Would you feel more comfortable with her in here?”

Did she want Korra in there? What would she think, seeing Asami in a hospital bed like that. Had she already been here? In fact, how long had Asami been in the hospital for? Oh fuck it. “Please.”

The doctor nodded and stepped out of the room, coming back quickly with Korra right behind her. Her hair was messy and she had bags under her eyes and honestly... “you look like shit.” Asami hadn’t meant to sound so blunt but she could just blame it on the meds. 

Korra stopped dead in her tracks next to the bed before throwing her head back and laughing. There she is, those blue eyes had lost their warmth for a moment. “Have you seen yourself lately?” She bantered and a few of the other people in the room whispered. Oh mind your own business. 

“Korra here,” Dr. Kya said sternly, giving Korra a very unimpressed look, “hasn’t left the hospital in a week.”

“I have too!”

But Asami wasn’t listening to their bickering. “A week?” Asami squeaked out and Korra grasped her hand. She watched the motion and could recognize it was happening but could only feel pressure. This was just so weird. 

“Asami, you were crushed by the car you were working under when the hydraulics failed on the lift.” The doctor said it matter of factly and her mind raced thinking how it could have happened, she couldn’t remember anything. “They said it was something about an older mechanism, but I don’t really understand any auto mechanic terms.” She smiled and pointed at her coat which read  _ Orthopedics. _ “From my understanding, you were in a very bad situation and everything happened so perfectly that you survived it, which doesn’t happen often when we see people crushed under vehicles. The alarm system you had in place in case of a malfunction, the response times of medical personnel, and the way the car pinned you were all a sequence of terrible events that led to you being here and not, well, you know.”

She could feel the pressure increase on her hand and Asami looked over to see Korra clenching her jaw and watching Dr. Kya speak. How much did she see?

“Your femurs and pelvis were all fractured,” Dr. Kya steamrolled through, “the latter more so. It caused a lot of internal bleeding and a bone fragment drifted and nicked your large intestine. It didn’t puncture it, which was very lucky, but there’s a high chance of infection with an injury like that, which you have already had a scare with. Are you ok to discuss the treatment we’ve had to do or do you need some rest?”

“I want to hear it.”

“Asami-” Korra tried but she shook her head.

“I need to know.” She needed to understand why she couldn't feel her body, needed to know how long she would be in here, needed to know if she would ever get her body back.

Dr. Kya nodded and explained everything, attempting to use terms that she would understand, but every now and then a nurse would have to cut in and explain something. It was all incredibly overwhelming, but the pressure on her hand was constant and pure. Korra’s face never changed and Asami figured that she already knew everything. 

After quite some time and an incredible amount of information, everyone left the room save for the woman still holding her hand. Once the last person was out, Korra slid a chair over to the side of her bed and sat down.

“Hi,” Korra said softly and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, cupping her cheek. 

Asami leaned into it and sighed, not saying anything in reply but opting to just relax into the comfort of the warm, tan hand. “What did you see?” She asked after some time. She needed to know, she needed to make sure Korra was ok. 

“Don’t worry about me, Asami.” Korra’s hand left her cheek to grasp her own again and raise it up to her lips, planting soft kisses on each knuckle. She wished she could feel the pressure more. “You just need to rest, ok?”

Asami stared at her, really looked now. Korra’s hair was a little greasy and the bags under her eyes were prominent. She said she had left the hospital but it really did look like she had been there the whole time, but why? “Korra, you need to rest too,” and she really, really did. “Look, I know we don’t know each other that well, so I don’t want you to burden yourself for me. It’s ok if you want to go.”

Korra leveled her with a determined, nearly affronted look. “I’m not going anywhere, Asami.”

And, well, that was that. 

______

Asami felt fire lick every inch of her and she woke with a scream, unable to control it. She had felt pain before but nothing like this, never so encompassing. She tried to thrash but her legs were pinned somehow and her arms resisted like they were strapped down. 

Were they strapped down?

She opened her eyes to see dark skin and blue eyes above her and she threw her head forward. 

“Asami!” 

Something snapped and she relaxed immediately, the voice calming her. 

“Asami, you’re ok, you’re safe. I’m right here.” Korra.

She turned and saw a much more put together Korra, it looked like she had finally showered and changed and Asami wondered how long she had been out. 

“Why am I tied down?”

Korra sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to come close to her legs. “You’ve been out for a few hours but you keep waking up and fighting. They had to strap you down because your motions could offset your pelvis, it’s still very fragile.” Korra could sense the look of confusion on her face and continued. “It’s your body’s natural reaction after being in shock...it’s kind of light fight or flight. The pain medicine doesn’t help, sometimes it can make you hallucinate.”

Asami wondered for a second how Korra knew before she remembered; Korra had been injured herself years ago. She didn’t know too much about her injuries besides that she wasn’t able to walk for months and it ruined her hockey career. The thought made Asami want - no, need - to move her legs. She focused everything she could on any part of her lower extremities but became exhausted in an instant. 

“Hey,” Korra said softly, “your legs are going to be fine. Nothing happened to your spine, your nerves are just a little fucked up from your pelvis getting shattered. They’ll probably have to do another surgery to fix that, but you’re going to be ok, Asami.”

“How do you know that?” She whispered, still trying to move even a toe. 

“Because Kya is the best orthopedic surgeon in the world,” Korra said confidently. “She’s the one who fixed me after my accident, her and her mom. The two of them are just incredible, trust me.”

“You know her?”

She watched Korra give her a shy smile and scratch the back of her neck, her nervous habit. “I kind of called in a favor and made her here to treat you.”

“Why?” Called in a favor? For what?

Korra laughed and for some reason it annoyed her, which was weird. Korra’s laugh usually made her heart race. 

“Why would I let someone else treat you when I’m basically family with a doctor who could do it better? That would be like you buying a car from Cabbage Corp.” She finished with a scoff and Asami relaxed a bit. Why was she so on edge? 

“Korra,” Asami said plainly, “why are you here?”

Korra raised an eyebrow at her. “Where else would I be?”

“Oh, I don’t know, working?” She could feel a pit form in her throat. “Hanging out with friends? Doing something other than sitting here with-with me!”

Korra tilted her head and smiled. Spirits she had a beautiful smile. “Nah, I’m good. I think I’ll stay.” She hopped off the bed with a grin and sat in her chair, searching for the remote to the tv and flicking it on to some lame soap opera. Something in Asami wanted to buy every media network and make it illegal to film soap operas, they were the worst thing ever created. 

She turned her head, the only thing allowed to move, and watched Korra instead. The angry pit in her throat was gone, replaced by a pit of gratitude and sadness. Those blue eyes were so wild, so carefree; it’s exactly what had drawn Asami in from the first time she saw Korra. There was something about the woman that she had never seen, how effortless she was in her confidence but it was never arrogant or narcissistic. Korra always had this air about her that made Asami breathe better, feel better, want to  _ be _ better. As she watched those eyes dance shamelessly she wondered why someone so perfect, so beautiful, so amazing would ever want to stick around with a cripple. 

That’s what she was now, right? She didn’t know this Kya lady but even the best doctor in the world couldn’t completely heal femur and pelvic fractures. There are just too many variables. Would Asami always have a limp? Would one leg wind up longer than the other? Would she have back issues for the rest of her life? Korra wasn’t stupid, so why was she wasting her time on someone who might not ever be complete again? There were plenty of people in the world, Korra had the pick of the litter basically. Asami wasn’t anything special anymore, but when those blue eyes turned to look at her again, it was as if they were staring at the most incredible thing in the world. 

She loved when Korra looked at her like that, but something told her not to believe it, that it would go away. She turned her head to the machines opposite that wonderful woman and let a few tears fall before slipping back into unfit rest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the angst.
> 
> Here's some stuff to hopefully make you feel better until the next chapter:
> 
> How I imagined Asami's hair flip during the lapdance - https://pixlbender.tumblr.com/post/177509493415/like-she-owns-the-place-sounds-i-like-it-cardi
> 
> Korra's little hairs that won't go into a ponytail - https://korra-x-asami.tumblr.com/post/157040616318/littleskrib-just-a-quick-doodle-i-did-of-korra
> 
> Sorry for the wait, life is a bit busy, but I hope you're all still enjoying this!


	5. Chapter 5

_ “But people themselves alter so much, that there is something new in them to be observed in them for ever. Yes-“  _

A voice, soft and raspy, was all she could hear as her body drifted back up from the cold depths of the water once more. It was low, soothing, rhythmic. It was Korra. It was always Korra.

“You’re awake,” the voice said softly and she heard the airy thud of a book closing before looking to the side and seeing those blues. Raava herself must have poured the coloring of Korra’s eyes, there was no other explanation to how much soul they carried. 

“What was that?” She asked, voice getting stronger by the day. Asami had been coherent now for over four days, though they had been beyond shitty. She couldn’t control her emotions, she was in unbelievable pain, and everything was driving her nuts. But even through it all, even through every outburst and rude quip, Korra stayed. Korra  _ stayed. _

“It’s  _ Pride and Prejudice,” _ Korra said and lifted the book to show her. “It’s old, but there’s a lot of good lessons about understanding someone’s character and intentions in here.”

“You’re reading to me?”

Korra sat back and nodded. “It seems that you sleep better when someone is talking, but I can’t just sit here and talk about random things so I’ve been reading to you.”

Have been, like more than what she just woke up to? “When did you start doing that?”

“Two days ago?” Korra said with a squint, looking up to try and count back to when she started. “I read a lot when I was recovering and I know it’s kind of lame, but Jane Austen’s stories are kind of my secret pleasure.”

Asami sort of smiled, the action took some effort with her fucked up emotions, but she tried for Korra. “I’ve never heard of her.”

Korra shrugged. “Not a lot of people have, these were from like a hundred or something years ago.” She patted the book and set it down on the table next to her before resting one leg above the other. “They’d be better if it was a little more gay, but I think everything is better like that.”

She had woken up somewhat happy moments ago, but something kicked to life in her brain, flipping all her emotions once more. They hadn’t talked about the night before  _ The Disaster, _ which is what she’s been calling the accident now. It was fitting, how it turned her life into such a disaster. She and Korra hadn’t talked about much really, besides a little of her treatment or something on tv, but they haven’t talked about...them. Korra had said she wanted more, but they never solidified being girlfriends or dating. The sex had been....holy shit the sex had been something out of this world but it felt like it happened years ago, in another life. Asami didn’t even want to think about it because the chances of her ever being able to perform like that were minimal, very minimal. 

“Korra, I’m fucking broken, don’t you get it?” Blue eyes stayed calm and it made her more mad at how level Korra could keep her emotions. “I’m broken, I’m not what I used to be, ok? That girl is gone and you’re wasting your time waiting for her. This-this fucking body,” she gestured to her useless legs, “it won’t work like it used to. I know you said you wanted more, for the sex to not just be a one time thing, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do any of that again. I’m useless, Korra. You’re just wasting your time.”

Korra regarded her for a moment, almost as if she was letting Asami calm down after her blow up. “I don’t see it that way, Asami,” she started softly. “Of course I’m attracted to you physically but there’s so much more to you than that. Your body is broken, yes, but  _ you _ are not broken,  _ you _ are not useless, and  _ I _ am not wasting my time.” Korra stopped and leaned forward, making sure Asami knew she meant business. “Bodies break and decay, but who you are? That stays the same, and that’s what I want when I say I want you. If you really want me to leave I will, but I’m right where I want to be.”

Asami, even in her medication muddled brain, couldn’t deny the sincerity in which Korra spoke those words. That’s just who she was, always wearing her heart on her sleeve. Korra wasn’t the type of person to do things for others for no reason, she wasn’t Asami who spent most of her time just giving and giving and giving. She had so much to give, so it was easy for her. She had the money and time so it was almost second nature for Asami to agree to any sort of charitable cause, it was just that she was never the charitable cause that needed assistance. She was completely out of her element and had no idea what to do; it scared the shit out of her. 

“Ok.”

What else was there to say? Korra was there, still, and that’s what Asami really wanted wasn’t it? Deep in the back of her mind she screamed at herself for being so rude all the time but there was just something that kept bugging her. Since that very first day Asami had done everything she could to get closer to the woman, to talk to her, to be in her atmosphere and smell that mixture of sawdust and something altogether Korra. She should be elated that Korra was still there and said it’s where she wanted to be, but Asami couldn’t help but try and push her away. She’s too good, she deserves better. 

But the selfish, masochistic part of her had decided to just let Korra stick around until she realized that Asami was, in fact, useless and she was, in fact, wasting her time. It would come soon enough, she knew it, but she was content in being able to watch that tan skin and those devastating eyes wander near her for as long as possible. She really did want Korra to stay, and it was going to break her heart once she left, once she had grown bored of her. 

______

She put her phone down with a sigh and laid back against the bed. Asami was too busy of a person to be stuck in a bed with nowhere to go, yet, there she was. Both Future Industries and her auto shop were doing fine in lieu of her absence, to which she accredited to her insane vetting of potential assistants in both companies. It still didn’t make her any less anxious though, any less needy to get her hands full of pen scuffs and motor oil. 

Another issue was people who wanted to come and visit her in the hospital, mainly Opal. Once word had gotten out about her accident things had become...awkward. Old business partners sent her flowers and ‘Get Well Soon’ cards that were generic, though kind. Even older friends sent out their condolences through various forms of social media, which was also nice of them, but in reality, Asami wanted to be left the fuck alone. It was enough to call Opal everyday to talk, but there was something in the pits of her stomach that just nawed at the thought of letting anyone see her so small, so not the person she used to be. So Asami wouldn’t let anyone visit her.

Except Korra, of course.

But Korra wasn’t just anyone. She was the person who read to Asami for hours so she would sleep well. She was the person who was already on the bed, wiping sweat coated hair from her face after another nightmare. She was the person who had memorized every single one of Asami’s charts, surgeries, therapy sessions, and meals so she would be able to tell any nurse doing rounds what was going on so that Asami didn’t have to talk. 

No, Korra wasn’t just anyone, Korra was special.

It was steadily approaching the four week mark since her accident and being cooped up in the hospital was so damn boring every day, but like clockwork, that tan skin and achingly sweet smile would stroll through her door right before the nurses shift changes so she could get a rundown of how the night went and be able to relay it to the day nurse. 

Korra was allowed to stay because she was the only person who didn’t ask her how she was feeling every five fucking seconds. No, Korra talked about the outside world and about her day, she constantly did things that distracted Asami from the incessant low hum of hospital machinery. Korra could stay because her hand was warm, was calloused but so perfect and steady whenever it was time to stand to get into her chair. She could stay because no matter how much Asami screamed at herself in her head about her own uselessness, Korra still looked at her as though she hung the moon. It was a nice feeling, no matter how much she didn’t understand it. 

“Can I ask you a question?”

Asami blinked herself out of her thoughts and turned towards Korra, and of course she could feel her pulse jump when she saw that slight tilt of her head. There weren’t a lot of questions she asked, seeming as though she didn’t want to push too far and have Asami talk too much, but there were always a few. She didn’t mind them, not really. Korra had this ability to get her to open up about things not even Opal could, but that was just her charm. It was so easy to spill her soul when she looked into eyes that were nothing but pools of soul and spirit. 

“Sure.” She raised her bed a little more and pulled at her feet to sit cross-legged. It stretched her thighs weirdly but it felt good to change up her position. “What’s up?”

“I just have been wondering why you were using such old power jacks.” She twirled her fingers nervously and Asami huffed out a small laugh at it. She had felt for some time now that Korra was holding back on something and that tiny bit of tension was finally released. She still couldn’t remember the accident, nor did she want to dwell on the thought for very long, but this is something she could answer.

“Those jacks were some of the last tools I had from my dad.” Realization flickered over blue eyes and Asami smiled. “I pretty much replaced everything in that shop, but I couldn’t part with those even though I knew they were old as shit. It's just-” she paused and rolled the scratchy hospital blanket in her fingers, “it’s just I remember being a little kid under a car with him. Those were some of my best memories, when we would be out there for so long my mom would have to almost literally come drag us both from underneath whatever we were working on.”

Korra was nodding and smiling that wonderful, sweet, lopsided smile and Asami could feel weight lift from her chest. They had talked about her parents before, sure, but she had never given a piece of her like that that she held so tender. It had been a memory she never shared with anyone, had never wanted to share the best of her past with people who didn’t understand that her dad hadn’t always been a bad guy, but Korra wasn’t just anyone.

“So you won’t give me anymore shit about my old table saw?” Korra cracked a wide smirk and Asami huffed out a heavier laugh.

“Oh no,” she said and shook her head, “you’re not getting out of that one. That saw is an occupational hazard.” She was being incredibly hypocritical, but this light banter was making her feel better than she had in days. When Korra laughed, her chest fluttered and Asami needed to remember how nice of a sound it was. She needed to remember to do more so that Korra could always be laughing. It looked so good on her. But then again, everything looked good on her.

______

The house felt stale when Korra rolled her in through the front door, but that was to be expected with how long she had been gone. It wasn’t as though she used the majority of the house anyway, but there was always a subtle difference in the air when Asami returned after being away for a while.

“So I moved your bed downstairs into that old office you told me to. I tried to bring some of your clothes down but...fuck Asami, why do you have so much clothes? I didn’t even know what to grab.” Korra. Wonderful, amazing, beautiful Korra. She was still there. “I have to go do an estimate in a bit but your home nurse, Ty Lee, will be here soon and then I’ll be back later to make dinner.”

“I’ll be ok, Korra, I promise.” She had to admit that a home cooked meal did sound amazing, but she didn’t want her going out of her way.

Korra just continued to push her through the house. “So do you want seal dumplings or seaweed noodles? My mom sent me a new recipe that I’ve been waiting to try.”

She had a taste of Korra’s cooking, the woman bringing some in every now and then once Asami’s dietary restrictions had loosened up, but watching her cook sounded much better. 

“Dumplings sound amazing.” Korra placed a hand on her shoulder in reply and Asami could feel the smile behind her.

Korra pointed out things she changed as they strolled (rolled) through the house and all of it weighed oddly heavy on her heart. She had put rails up on specific walls and in the bathroom to help her stand, she had fixed the side gate that the fire department knocked down, had removed the toe-kicks in all of the door jams so her wheelchair wouldn't catch on them...every single change was perfect and thoughtful. Just like Korra. 

Asami still struggled with her thoughts, and some days were better than others, but that bright smile really did help her through the bad times. The therapist who came to see her in the hospital had explained how the trauma her body went through and all of the medication she was on created a post traumatic stress induced depression, and that’s why she had been having such conflicted feelings about all of the things Korra did for her. It helped immensely to be able to talk to someone and have them understand, it really did, but she still had her days.

She wouldn’t let today be one of those days. Asami was strong, she had been through hell before, tasted its waters, she could do this. 

Her chair stopped and Korra came around to kneel in front of her, hands taking one of her own. “You’ve been through so much these last few weeks, Asami, and it's going to be hard, but I’m right here for you. If you need to talk, or...anything. I just want to make this as easy as possible for you.”

The warmth from that hand radiated through her whole body, the words Korra spoke making her vibrate with an odd energy, as though she could feel herself healing with each syllable. Her nightmares had felt like she was drowning, being sucked down and held underwater, but the blue of Korra’s bottomless eyes made her feel like she was floating in an oasis. Everything about them, about the tan skin, about Korra’s steady voice held her up and Asami couldn’t help but feel stronger from it. 

“Thank you, Korra.” She squeezed her hand back and smiled. The smiling had gotten a lot easier too. “Don’t forget to take care of yourself too, though. I don’t want you to fall back on work or anything for me and-” a firm pressure on her hand made her stop. She had to try, at least. As much as she wanted Korra here all the time, she had to try.

“Don’t worry about me, ok?” That heart on her beautiful white sleeve was so enchanting. “I’m right where I want to be, Asami.”

______

Asami had her good days and her bad days, that was for sure. Her nearly six weeks in the hospital were probably the worst because of surgeries and all of the medicines she was on completely offset her regular patterns, but once she was home it got a little easier. 

Not by much, but Korra was trying her best to do all she could to help. She had known from the beginning that Asami was pretty stubborn, or at least knew exactly what to do to get what she wanted, but fuck if she wasn’t a terrible patient. It made Korra sick to her stomach when they had to strap her down by her wrists but Asami couldn’t be contained through her nightmares. When they had to start weaning her off the hard pain medication and transition to over the counter drugs it made Korra sick again to watch her writhe in pain. Having plates, pins, and rods implanted in your body to heal breaks would do that to you. 

Korra watched as those green eyes she loved so much clouded over with fatigue and hopelessness. Asami, that busy and lively Asami who got bored of being CEO of a major corporation and opened another small business to keep her hands occupied, had been confined to an eight by three bed and completely immobilized. Her legs which carried her across the city by both feet and slamming the gas pedal barely worked, barely listened to her pleas to move. Asami, who’s eyes looked at everything with such curiosity and determination to understand how things worked, had started to stare blankly at the white, suffocating walls of the hospital. 

The thing is, is that...Korra understands it. She’s been there before, and though it was years ago, she can recall the memories as though her accident happened yesterday. It’s something that lives inside of her always. She’s gotten past all of her trauma and accepted what happened to her, but she knew the road to recovery. She didn’t want Asami to have to go on that road alone. 

Every doctor on Asami’s team besides Kya had wanted her to go into a rehabilitation center to help get her back on her feet but Korra had put her foot down. There was no way that she would let Asami be shoved into a sterile room and wait for a nurse to check on her every few hours. No, no way. Korra would do everything herself if she had to, no matter what. 

Of course she didn’t have to, because Asami was rich and could hire home care workers, but Korra needed to help. She needed to be there and to know that Asami was progressing, that she was trying. She needed her to know that she wasn’t alone. 

Bad days were hard, and Korra really had to dig inside herself to find the patience to let the things Asami would say go past her head. She was never cruel or unkind, but the self deprecation chipped away at her heart. There hadn’t seemed to be any words yet that could break the injured woman out of her head, not completely, but Korra understood that also. She herself fell into a pit of despair that lasted over a year, worrying everyone around her who loved her, but it took time. It took facing her fears and understanding that bad things happen, that though life may not be  _ exactly _ like it used to doesn’t mean that it will be bad. 

They had their good days too, though, and generally those happened more frequently than bad days. Korra very begrudgingly had to go back to work every so often, the bills began to pile up and goodwill wasn’t going to pay them, but she spent every free hour she could with Asami. They talked, she cooked, she distracted her as best she could, they watched movies...it was just trying to find things that made Asami forget that she was in a wheelchair. As they passed the two month mark after she left the hospital, Asami’s eyes had come back to life, mostly. 

She wasn’t always in a wheelchair, physical therapy had gotten her to at least stand up with a walker, but her unused legs became exhausted quickly. Korra tried to fix that problem by clearing out an empty office downstairs and making it into a proxy workshop so that the woman could use her hands. Asami wasn’t ready to go back into the shop in the backyard, she had tried to go in but the moment she rolled through the door she had a panic attack, so that was out of the question. The proxy workshop did alright, it kept her hands busy and sometimes when Korra came over after work Asami’s eyes would light up as she showed her a little thing she built or fixed, and those days were good. Days where Asami remembered who she was, remembered that her brain and hands worked more magic than legs ever did for her. She just needed time, time and patience with physical therapy, and the legs would come back to her. 

Korra could feel those eyes on her when she walked around the house. Ever since Asami woke up, she could feel that there was a hesitation there that wasn’t present before the accident. She felt it in every  _ ‘why are you here, Korra,’ _ and she didn’t know how to prove that she wanted this. She wanted her no matter what and she was prepared to do whatever Asami needed to feel like she was worth the love and care she was being given. Not that Korra was in love with her, not yet, but there was no doubt in her mind that it would get there someday. That draw to her was still there, still present, it was just a different draw right now. It was a draw to protect, to provide, to give. 

So her reply was always easy,  _ ‘I’m right where I want to be.’ _

Because she was, and had been, since that first day. 

Korra could feel it at the front door that it was going to be a bad day. Asami was always sore and grumpy after her physical therapy because she had spent the weekend playing in the shop and forgetting, only to be reminded come Monday that hey, your legs are still subpar.

She knocked on the door regardless, she could take the cloudy eyes and cold shoulder. 

“Hey, Asami!” She said easily and walked to the kitchen to put away the food she brought. “I brought your favorite today.”

“Hi,” she replied and followed behind. “Thanks, Korra.” And ok, that was more than she usually got on Monday’s, she’ll take it. 

She took a seat next to her by the little table. “How’d therapy go today?”

“It was ok,” Asami said with a shrug. “Zhu Li wants me to start walking more at home with my walker but I just...” she shrugged again and looked away. 

“Well that’s good, right?” She tried not to push but Asami wasn’t ever so forthcoming about her therapy sessions so she wanted more. “I can come over in the mornings and walk with you. No offense to your nurses, but I don’t think they could catch you like I can if you stumble.” She made a small ‘O’ with her arms and flexed, smiling when Asami’s eyes trailed the move. Then they rolled at her, but that was something. 

“You need to stop pushing work off for me, Korra. We’ve talked about this.”

Korra waved her off gently with a scoff. “Work will always be there, I’d rather be here.” Which wasn’t completely true, work needed to get done, but whatever. “I was actually thinking of this chair escalator thing that I could build on the side of your stairs, you know? Like it won’t be a permanent fixture or anything but you sit in it and it will pull you up or bring you down, just so you can go upstairs finally and not be stuck down here.”

“Why?” Asami asked. “Why do you keep doing all of this?”

And there were the clouds. “What do you mean?”

“Why are you here?” Her tone was off and Korra felt an itch at the back of her neck that had nothing to do with embarrassment. “I don’t want to hear your normal answer. I just don’t get why you want to waste your time.” 

Korra looked at her for probably longer than she should have before sighing and shaking her head. “I’m not wasting my time, and I don’t know how else to tell you that. Asami, I’ve been where you are, ok? After my accident I was so lost, so desolate, and I felt like no one understood what I was going through. It took me so long and I don’t want to see you go through that if I can help it. I understand what you’re going through, and I just want to help.”

“So, what? You’re just here out of pity? You think I’m just some decrepit, helpless being?” She was angry, nostrils flaring, but her eyes were determined. 

“No, Asami it’s not like that-“

“I don’t need anyone’s help, I never have.” Asami looked away and that hurt more than anything. “I think you should go, for good this time. Thank you for what you’ve done, but you don’t need to help me anymore.”

That itch grew from her neck to wrap around her entire body and Korra clenched her jaw watching a tear roll down that pale cheek, but she knew there was nothing she could do. She leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees and although Asami wasn’t looking, she knew she could hear. 

“I have never, ever pitied you, Asami.” It was a whisper, a promise, a plea. “I’ll go, but just know I don’t regret one second. You were worth it, and you always will be to me.”

Korra stood and paused before dropping a kiss to the top of Asami’s head. They hadn’t touched besides when Korra helped her up since the night before the accident, but her whole body urged her to do it. She could still feel the shutter that wracked through Asami’s body at the touch as she walked out the front door and got in her truck. She could feel it as she drove home in a daze, felt it as she walked by Naga who could smell her distress. She felt it as that belt sander whirred to life, blocking out the world around her. She had been needing it more lately, the reprieve from the world. Asami was worth it, all the bad days and the good, but that didn’t mean it didn’t have an affect on her. 

Korra slid a new piece of wood into the vice and tightened it, letting her mind go blank besides the design of that chair lift and how she could fit it to exactly what Asami needed. Asami may get what she wants, but Korra is stubborn. Those determined eyes, the tears, the shutter at her kiss; she wasn’t done, and neither was Korra. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asami, honey, what are you doing?


	6. Chapter 6

Asami kept it together for as long as she could until she wheeled herself over to the fridge, somewhat hungry, and saw the Tupperware container that Korra had brought only hours before. She grabbed it with shaky fingers, looking at the perfect dumplings she knew would be incredible, and threw it across the room. The glass shattering was nothing compared to her heart and the few tears she failed to hold back earlier returned like a flood. 

She didn’t know what was wrong with her, why she would just push Korra out like that when everything in her screamed to bring the woman in closer. The woman who had been by her side every day, without question, without a blink. Who had taken all of her angry remarks and bad attitude in stride and just smiled. Korra was good, too good for her, but neglected to see it. Asami’s resolve almost broke at her words,  _ ‘you were worth it, and you always will be to me.’ _ Sweet, patient, understanding Korra knew exactly what to say and how to make her feel every time. It’s all she had ever wanted but Asami was too fucked up and she just ruined it by telling her to go. 

She curled in on herself, the pain of pushing Korra away hurt damn near just as much as having her bones obliterated, and stayed that way until her eyes ran out of tears to cry. She was weak from the pain, weak from her time being so inactive, that Asami couldn’t even find it in her to wheel herself to her makeshift room, so she stayed there. Desolate and alone.

The following three weeks trampled by in a daze of similar fashion. She didn’t cry, well not a lot anyway, but her heart ached. The first day without Korra was worse than she could have imagined. Asami hadn’t realized how much room that tan skin took up and without it, the mansion felt like a mausoleum. 

The worst was when her nurses asked where Korra was and her throat had closed up so tight she panicked.  _ I sent her away, _ she couldn’t say.  _ I ruined the only good thing I had in my life in a long time. _ Waking up to nightmares without warm hands brushing back her sweaty hair had never been something she thought she would crave, but the cold hands that smelled too sterile made each dream worse when Asami would fall back asleep. She would dream of Korra being under that car, helpless, and there was nothing she could do for her. It was agony.

She missed her, she missed her so much and so stupidly neglected to notice how much Korra did for her that she let go unappreciated. Everything knocked around inside of her damn head and Asami threw herself into work, into therapy just to keep from grabbing her phone and dialing Korra’s number. She wanted to give in so bad, to beg for forgiveness and to promise to be better, but she still wasn’t good enough. 

Not even her body, she had come to terms with the fact that Korra wanted her no matter what, but she needed to get her mind back in place. The depression she had after the accident wasn’t something unknown to her, something similar happened after the death of her father, but it took work to get out of and she didn’t need Korra being responsible for that work. Maybe once she could walk again, could be nice again and let someone in, maybe then she would try. She would just pick up the phone, ask her out for some coffee or a drink, and start over. Maybe then she would be able to give Korra even half the kindness and attention that was given to her. Asami could spend a lifetime trying to make it up, because if there was anything she realized, it was that Korra was worth it. She always had been. 

So the last thing she expected to see when she got home from therapy those weeks later was Korra, in her house, installing something on her staircase. She sat in shock and watched that delicious back move under a somewhat sweat soaked t-shirt, Korra not noticing that Asami had rolled up behind her. She was so confident with everything she did, every screw screwed in, every piece precise and beautiful. Her body moved exactly where it needed to with a grace Asami had hardly ever seen. It made her chest ache with how much she missed this, missed being able to watch and just see that tan skin and her stomach dropped at the thought of seeing those eyes. It had been so long and Asami wondered how she had lived over 25 years without being acquainted with those eyes. 

_ Think of something to say, you creep. _ She had already been watching for too long. “What are you doing?”

“Shit!” Korra’s drill slipped and she missed her mark. Oops, sorry. “Asami! Hey!” Korra turned around with a guilty smile and Asami felt a lump form in her throat. Fuck she’s beautiful. “You’re home early.”

“My therapy switched to an earlier time slot.” She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “So, what are you doing? In fact, how did you get into my house?”

Korra put down her drill and wiped her hands together to get the sawdust off before standing up and walking down a few steps. “That’s easy, Naga can be very persuasive when she needs to be.”

“Naga?”

“Naga,” Korra confirmed with a smile and nodded before sticking two fingers in her mouth and whistling loudly. “Naga, come here girl!”

Asami heard enormous feet and claws thudding and scraping against the wood floors as the dog bounded into the room, tongue lolled out to the side and looking very pleased with herself. 

“Naga, sit,” Korra commanded and she sat immediately. Asami had never seen the dog so obedient before. 

“And how did she get you into the house?”

“Your butler isn’t a fan of dogs, I’m not sure you knew that.” Her butler did just fine with dogs, but Naga was a bit bigger than most dogs. Much bigger. “Naga, smile.” Korra commanded again and the dog bared her teeth and growled. If Asami hadn’t known the animal was a huge softy and that Korra was in control, yea she would be afraid too. 

Asami crossed her arms and raised the other eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure that’s not incredibly legal, Korra.”

Korra shrugged and scratched behind Naga’s ear for a second. “I wanted to have this done before you got back.” She gestured to the contraption behind her and scratched the back of her neck. “Clearly that didn’t happen. Umm, look I know you don’t want me here but I’m just going to finish this and then I’ll leave and-“

“You don’t have to.”

“I don’t have to what?” Korra asked, slightly confused. “Finish this? I mean I kind of do, it would just be useless if I don’t get the-“

“No, Korra,” Asami interrupted again. “You don’t have to leave. I...I, shit-“ she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I fucked up so bad, Korra. I treated you like shit and all you ever were was good to me and it just made me feel worse because I couldn’t give you anything back.”

“Oh, Asami,” she said softly. “You never had to give me anything back, that’s the whole point. When you care about someone, you do whatever they need.”

Asami tried not to choke up, but come on. “How are you so good? How can you just keep doing things for me when I’ve been so bad?”

Korra sighed and took a seat near the bottom of the steps. “You were hurt and your mind was fucked up, Asami, that wasn’t you. Of course it wasn’t fun, but I’ve been there so I know that you didn’t mean any of it. I know who you are and I’m willing to be by your side and work with you to get back to wherever you want to be.”

“Still? Even after I pushed you away?”

“If you’ll have me, then absolutely.” Korra’s smile was earth shattering and Asami just wanted to melt. Instead, she locked the wheels on her chair and took a deep breath before standing up. She was rickety, but Asami was on a mission. 

Korra’s eyes widened and she stood up too, walking down to the edge of the stairs to wait. It was quite a few steps, and it hurt, but Asami could do it, she could do it for Korra. And when those strong arms caught her it was the deepest feeling of coming home that she had ever known. 

“I’m so sorry, Korra,” she gasped and curled into that warm body she missed for far too long. “I’m so, so sorry. I just felt like you deserved better and I didn’t let you have a choice. I’ve missed you so much.”

Korra squeezed her harder and burrowed into Asami’s neck. “I missed you too,” she whispered. “So damn much. I felt like I was going crazy.”

“Me too,” she said with a watery laugh and started to pull away. It felt good, so good, to be back at almost eye level with those perfect blue eyes. It was nice to finally be able to look down at Korra again. “I forgot how short you are.”

Korra rolled her eyes. “I’m not even three inches shorter than you, get over yourself.”

She laughed and it felt foreign but good, she hadn’t laughed in a long time. When Asami looked back at Korra she had the most devastatingly soft smile on her face and it made her stomach flip. 

“I’ve missed that too.” And damn that voice, she really was just the most perfect thing. “Oh, before I forget, there’s more. Can you still stand for a bit?”

Asami assessed her legs and then nodded, they’d been getting a lot stronger lately. 

“Good, ok,” Korra began and took a few steps back, “pat your hip and tell Naga ‘here.’”

Asami gave her a curious look but Korra just nudged her head up to say ‘do it,’ and why would she argue. 

“Naga, here.” And the dog came to stand at attention right by her side, tongue no longer lolling out the side. 

“Good girl,” Korra praised. “Ok now tell her ‘come’ and walk towards me.”

She did as she was told and when she started walking Naga was right by her side with every step, almost ready for something.

“Korra, what is this?”

“Hold on, one more,” she said with a smile. “Tell her ‘chair.’”

Asami was a bit skeptical but went for it anyway. “Naga, chair.” Her skepticism dropped away when Naga trotted over to her chair, unlocked both wheels with her teeth, and pushed it right up behind her legs. She turned back to Korra quickly to find her already smiling. 

“We trained her to be my service dog after my accident,” Korra said and patted her own leg for the dog to come get some love. “It’s taken some work to get her back into her commands, but Naga’s the best you can get. She can do a lot of things like help pick you up off the floor if you’ve fallen or get snacks out of the fridge, both of which I needed a lot of.” Korra laughed and oh how Asami loved that laugh. “I have a list of the commands and what they do somewhere-“ she paused and dug through her pockets until finding a folded up piece of paper. “Ah-hah! Here, they’re pretty simple. I know you can remember them.”

Asami took the paper with shaky hands and looked at the list of commands, looking it over briefly before turning back to Korra. “You....retrained-“ come on Asami, get it together, “you retrained Naga, for me? Korra I can’t-“

“It’s not permanent,” Korra said quickly with her hands out in front of her. “I mean, you can’t keep her ‘cause I kind of like her, but you need Naga more than I do right now.” She smiled shyly and rubbed the back of her neck. “Even if you didn’t let me back here I would have her stay, just so I knew you would be safe and taken care of. It’s just, Naga likes you, which she doesn’t like people often, and I know it can get lonely so I wanted you to have some company at night and-“

Asami grabbed her and wrapped Korra into a tight hug, effectively stopping her little ramble she had going. She dug her face into that neck, getting drunk off of the smell of sweet sweat and sawdust, and held on tight. “Fuck, I was so stupid,” she whispered into Korra’s neck, loving the feel of it ripple as the woman laughed. 

“I still think you’re cute, at least.” Korra rubbed small circles on her lower back and it had her weak in the knees. Or maybe her legs were just tired, ok yea, her legs were tired. 

“I think I need to sit now,” she said and didn’t want to move but she had to. Korra released her hold only so much as to make sure Asami sat down safely and then went back to her spot on the steps, pulling her in closer until they were right in front of each other. 

“Asami,” she started softly, “no one can tell you how to heal, they can’t grasp what’s going on in your head enough to tell you what you need. It’s hard, but you have to trust and believe in yourself to be able to push through. I could sit here and tell you over and over again that I understand you, and I do to an extent, but not completely, and that’s ok. I’m here to listen, to help, to be whatever you need to help you figure out how you need to heal.”

She let the words soak deep into her bones and Asami didn’t think she could ever get used to how well Korra knew exactly what to say.

Korra held out her hand and waited for Asami to wrap it in her own, which she did so easily. “I want you, Asami, all of you. The good, the bad, the bitchy,” she smirked and Asami rolled her eyes. “I’ve never felt this pull to someone like I do with you and I know I’m not perfect, neither of us are, but I really want to try. I want to try and do right by you, make you happy. Be my girlfriend?”

She got lost in those damn blue eyes and how hopeful and sincere they were. Korra always wore her heart on her sleeve, Asami loved that about her, and here she was trying to give Asami the world when all she had been lately was a bitch? She stuffed down those negative thoughts, she had been working so hard on it lately, working hard to be better. She knew Korra wasn’t the type of person to do things she didn’t want, so this was all real. Even through everything, Korra still wanted her, wanted to try, wanted to work together. The thought made her heart soar and Asami was determined to do everything she could to prove that she wanted the same thing, that she wanted all of Korra, wanted to do right by her and wanted to make her happy. 

“I would love that, Korra.”

______

“You’ve got this, Asami.”

“Korra, I can’t. I need-I need...”

“Hey, just close your eyes and breathe,” Korra said with a soft, soothing voice. “Just close your eyes and take those last few steps. I’ve got you.”

Asami closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her legs were shaking and she was scared, they had walked further than she had been able to go in the last few weeks, and there were only a few steps left until they got back to the house. She didn’t know why her legs gave out at the very end, and it would be so easy just to give in, but Korra was there, Korra was steady, she could do it. One, two, three, four, five and she felt a hand take her own. Her body relaxed immediately and she opened her eyes, Korra already smiling. 

“Sometimes you just need to close your eyes and relax, you always have a few more steps in you.” She leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead, Asami closed her eyes again at the touch. They had officially been girlfriends for two weeks now but Korra was taking things slow this time, almost too slow, but there was so much work to be done that they couldn’t rush anything. 

Asami swung her legs back and forth a little bit later while Korra cooked them some dinner. It was dumplings again and she had neglected to tell her girlfriend how the last dumplings she had made ended up, but that could be a conversation for another night.

“I have something for you in the backyard when we’re done,” she said, legs still swinging happily as she watched Korra cook. She could watch Korra watch paint dry and Asami would still be completely enraptured.

Korra covered up the pot to let them steam and came to stand next to her, hand warm on her knee. Asami wished that she would just stand between her legs like they both knew she wanted, but they were going slow or whatever.

“What is it?” She almost gave in right there with the brightness of that damn smile, but she had to hold out.

“After dinner, Korra.” And oh holy shit that pout. Asami had to scrunch up her face and look away because that thing held way too much power and for some reason she had never seen it until a week ago. She was glad because, well, she would give up complete rights to all of her companies if Korra asked her with that pout, so it was good that she actually had most of her brain power back.

She was nervous once they finished dinner and started to head out back together but she led the way, slowly, and made Korra close her eyes before they both walked outside.

“Ok,” she said once they stopped in front of the large box. “Open.”

Korra stared at it for longer than Asami had anticipated and her nerves shot back once more, but then she was sniffling and laughing and Asami sighed in relief.

“You didn’t,” Korra said with a small smile on her face.

“Oh I did,” Asami said and looked proudly at the new table saw on the ground. It wasn’t wrapped, or pretty, but she couldn’t exactly maneuver around to wrap things right now. “Perks of knowing the owner, you know?”

Korra threw her head back and laughed hard. “You’re such a nerd. Asami, this is amazing, but I can’t let you just buy me a table saw. These things are expensive and-”

“Korra, just take the damn saw.” She knew that the woman would put up a little bit of a fight at it, but Asami also knew that she would win in the end. Korra wouldn’t take any money for all of the work and fixes she had done around the house since the accident so it really was only fair that Asami did something for her. And really, she owned the company, she could write it off.

“You’re an amazing pain in the ass, you know that?” But blue eyes were so tender, and she watched as those hands traced the lining of the box, itching to open it and play with her new toy. It was a really nice feeling, to see Korra’s mind whirling while she thought of the capabilities of her new machine, it was something regretfully lost lately while she had been taking care of Asami. Not that she complained or regretted it, but Korra’s focus hadn’t been on her trade for some time but now it was back in a flash.

Asami would do anything to see that smile.

______

Korra was a little nervous when she began the walk up to Asami’s door, the woman having texted her a bit ago that therapy had been extra rough that day and she was in a bad mood, but that was actually a really good step. The fact that she was open about her emotions settled a little something in her stomach that hadn’t been there before, when she didn’t know which Asami she would be getting that day.

She went through her normal motions of when she came over, taking care of Naga and her things, making some light lunch, and she could feel those green eyes on her the whole time. It wasn’t something that bugged her, she liked that better than Asami just sitting in her chair and looking at walls, but something in the air felt reminiscent of the time when she had just gotten home from the hospital.

That wasn’t going to happen again.

“What happened today?” It was more brash than she would usually broach the topic, but Asami had been getting better for quite a while now, she could take it.

“I’m just tired,” she said with a lame shrug and wheeled back and forth in place. “I feel like I'm at a stalemate and not going anywhere with therapy.

Korra thought for a moment and nodded. “You feel like no matter what you do, you’re just not getting that one step further?”

“Yea,” Asami said with a sad nod, but this was good. She could work with this.

“Do you trust me?” Korra asked and Asami looked up at her and tilted her head.

“That depends on what you want to do,” she said skeptically. “I can see that fire in your eyes, Korra, but I don’t feel like working out or anything. I’m tired.”

She shook her head. “You don’t have to do anything but sit there. Do you trust me?” She repeated again, steadfast.

“Yes,” without pause. Korra swallowed the lump in her throat.

“Good, now close your eyes.” Asami squinted at her for just a second before taking a deep breathing and doing as she was told. 

Korra wasted no time in rolling her back towards the front door, outside, and down into the street.

“Korra,” Asami said slowly, “why are we outside?”

She walked around the front of her to make sure those eyes were still closed and positioned Asami’s feet firmly on their footrests. 

“Don’t think, just feel it, ok?” Korra placed both her hands over Asami’s and positioned them on the arm rests. “If you want me to stop, say cherry wood.” That got a huff of a laugh out of the woman and she had to drop a kiss to the top of that sweet, silky head of hair before moving back to the back of the chair. “Ok, here we go.”

She could feel Asami tense as she started to walk fast, then started to jog. The streets were deserted, this part of town rarely had any sort of traffic, so Korra knew they were completely safe.  _ Come on, Asami, let it go. _ She jogged faster, not too fast, but their hair was starting to whip a little around her face, but still nothing. Korra started to run, legs pumping as she pushed the chair and then suddenly, Asami was laughing. 

Really, really laughing. 

_ That's it. _

So she ran harder, legs pushing steadily with the fuel of Asami’s laugh and Korra started to laugh too. They passed a few neighbors that looked at them like they were crazy, and they probably were, but with Asami whooping and hollering the way she was Korra couldn’t give a single fuck what anyone thought.

Asami was laughing, just like she used to. Bright, full of life, full of hope.  _ Asami. _

They were both completely breathless by the time Korra sprinted them back to the house and she had to collapse onto the front grass to catch any sort of semblance of air. Her eyes were closing on themselves and she felt a catch under her ribs, but every second of that had been worth it. Korra hardly noticed pale legs next to her before Asami was slowly starting to sit on the ground. 

“Asami, let me-” but she was already almost all the way down and smiling that smile she hadn’t seen in some time.

“Korra, that was incredible. I just - how did you know I needed that?”

She laid back on the grass and folded her hands behind her head. “When I reached my stalemate, it took me a long time to realize it was because while I felt ok and could physically walk just fine, I still hadn’t got back in touch with the things that used to calm me.” She looked over at Asami who was looking at her with a curious expression. She laughed, “you haven’t been able to feel the wind in your hair, to feel that little edge of daring like when you go to the tracks. I mean, it wasn’t much, but it-”

She was cut off by Asami leaning down, that devilish smirk lightly visible on her face, and Korra’s head went numb except for the feeling of soft lips on her own after too many open, aching moments.

Korra wondered if every time she would kiss those lips would feel somehow like the first kiss and like coming home.

But then Asami tilted her head just a bit and there wasn’t anything else to think about except a tongue sliding gently across her bottom lip.

She had never made out on a front lawn before, and oh what a travesty that was.

______

Asami turned back and forth in the mirror, eyes locked on the deep purple scars on both ass cheeks and moved her bathing suit to see the ones on her hips. The doctors said that the scars would fade to be almost skin color someday, and if she was being honest they were just small lines only a few inches long each, but she worried. What would Korra think of them? She had gone in the pool at physical therapy but not here at home yet, Korra hadn’t seen her scars before. Asami felt the urge to find some swim shorts, to cover herself up, but she didn’t. If Korra didn’t like them, well, it would be easier to find out sooner rather than later. 

She walked into the pool room with a towel wrapped around her and her stomach flipped when she saw Korra. It always flipped when she saw her. 

“Hey beautiful,” Korra said and walked up to give her a kiss. That had been nice, they had finally gotten around to actual kissing. “You ready for this?”

Asami nodded but kept a hold on her towel, suddenly nervous again, and Korra seemed to pick up on the hesitation. 

“What’s wrong?” She asked and looked worried. “We don’t have to do this if you aren’t ready.”

“It’s not that,” Asami said with a sigh and forced herself to look Korra in the eye. “I’m just embarrassed about....about the scars.”

Korra tilted her head and her brows furrowed in some sort of confused contemplation before taking a step back and removing her clothes so she was just in a bathing suit. Asami wanted to drool at the sight but then Korra turned around and she nearly gasped. She had a scar that ran almost the entire length of her spine, other little ones along her back, and a matching scar on her right ass cheek, just like Asami. 

“I’m not sure how you didn’t notice any of them that night,” Korra said with a smirk and Asami wanted to reach out and trace that light brown line. Korra had such a beautiful back, so strong, and the scars did nothing to take away from that. It almost made her more beautiful, she was a survivor. It made Asami feel so at ease, Korra understood, and she wouldn’t think anything less of her. 

“I was a little preoccupied, if you recall.” She thought back to that night and oh Raava was she distracted. It had been, what, almost five months since then now? Besides some rather steamy make out sessions, the two of them haven’t gone any further than some less than modest ass grabs, which was where Korra always drew the line. It was driving Asami crazy, Korra being so respectable and in control, but once her mind came down from her horniness she understood. 

She could walk just fine now, she just had to be careful and take it slow but Asami was getting stronger by the day. She couldn’t wait to start jogging and getting her stamina back up, both to be healthy and because as the weeks passed by she had been wanting Korra more and more now. Sex hadn’t really even been a thought after her accident, what with the medicines and hating herself clouding any need for intimacy, but it was coming back with a vengeance. Especially now, seeing that gorgeous tan skin in a bathing suit. How easy would it be just to pull the strings and let it all fall off?

Asami shook her head out of it, Korra would probably tell her it was too soon, so she just rolled her eyes and headed for the steps. She grabbed the bar and walked in steadily, hips finally not aching with each sway as she dropped further into the water, and sank below the surface. It felt so good to have her body float and be unencumbered by the weight and Asami wondered why they hadn’t done this together before. 

The two of them did laps back and forth across the pool, muscles aching so wonderfully at the steady pull against them. Water therapy was one of the best forms out there since it was so low resistance and Asami was lucky to have her own indoor pool. She tired out quicker than Korra of course and was happy to rest against the edge and watch those muscles coil with every stroke. They  _ definitely _ needed to do this more often. 

“I can’t believe I haven’t used this thing yet,” Korra said somewhat breathlessly as she swam back up to Asami, standing in the shoulder deep water once she made it close enough. Her eyes looked so clear and otherworldly, Asami marveled at how much more blue they looked right now with her dark lashes clumped together from the water. 

Asami just smiled and rested her elbows on the edge of the pool, throwing her legs out and wrapping them around Korra’s stomach to bring her in closer. 

“Asami, wha-“ but Korra stopped talking once their bodies were flush against each other, Asami dropping off the ledge to wrap her arms around that tan neck. 

“Kiss me.”

Blue eyes flashed for a second before Korra’s mouth was on hers, hungry. Korra pinned her against the side of the pool and Asami barely registered the faint scraping of her back against the wall texture as a tongue lashed out to meet her own. It was hot and needy, lips sucking and nibbling while hands ran up the sides of her thighs to grab her by the ass and pull her infinitely closer. She gasped into the touch, rocking her hips to find some sort of friction, and Korra groaned at the feeling. 

_ Please be giving in, please. _

But then her insistency slowed down and Korra dragged slow kisses along her jaw before sighing into Asami’s shoulder. 

“This is not the workout we need to be doing in the pool, Asami.” Why did she have to be so diplomatic about some things? 

“Then let’s go work it out in my bed.” She ground her hips into Korra’s stomach for good measure and could feel those abs ripple. 

Blue eyes closed and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “I’m trying to be good here, Asami. What if you get hurt? I’d never forgive myself.”

“Hey,” Asami said softly and tilted Korra’s chin up so they could see each other. “You’re not going to hurt me, I trust you. If I’m uncomfortable, we’ll talk about it, ok?”

She almost seemed at war with herself but as Asami scratched lightly at the base of her neck she could see Korra give in.  _ Finally. _

“Ok, but I’m carrying you upstairs, you’re probably already tired and I don’t want you to-“

“Korra,” Asami said flatly, “just shut up and take me up there already.”

Asami expected to be thrown over her shoulder again like that first night but once they climbed out of the pool Korra looked at her for a moment before turning and pulling her onto her back. She tried to protest at first but it had been so long since Asami had gotten a piggyback ride that soon enough she was laughing and letting it happen. They both were in a stupid fit of giggles once they reached her room and Korra set her down and wiped tears from her eyes. 

“I don’t know why that was so funny, but man I just-“

She shut up real quick when Asami slipped her bathing suit off in one fluid motion. Much better, Korra. Stop talking. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love these babies, you guys.


	7. Chapter 7

She wanted to cry as she finished her jog, Naga right there next to her ready to be put to work, but Asami was good. It had been seven months now since the accident and to her complete disbelief and utter amazement, Asami felt like her old self once again. Very rarely will she feel a weird tweak in her pelvis when she moved a certain way, but it didn’t hurt. Nothing hurt anymore and she wondered what she could do for her medical team that would show her gratitude enough. Maybe sponsor a new orthopedics wing, donate to research, who knows? She’ll figure it out. 

She poured some water for Naga once they got inside and downed her own cup quickly after. She had set a goal a little over a month ago to be able to jog ten miles and today she had accomplished it. The last few months had been bitter work, but with Korra right next to her through it all she had persevered. The constant praise and motivation had egged her on, and it was wonderful. Korra was wonderful. 

The both of them finally went back to work full time, which Korra tried to fight valiantly because she wanted to be there for Asami whenever she needed, but they were pretty much back into the swing of things. Life had been normal, in a sense, these last few weeks and today with her jog just really solidified in her that she was ok, that something very bad happened to her but she worked hard to mend herself up. She let happy tears fall as she showered and thought of what a dark place she had been in for so long. 

Korra would tell her so many times not to dwell on it, that worrying about those thoughts only made it worse, and of course she was right. Some nights when they were wrapped up together, wonderfully naked and content in listening to each other breathe, Korra would whisper about how proud she was. She would open up about her own troubles, about thoughts she had never told anyone before, and being able to know what each other had gone through made their relationship that much stronger. 

In a way, everything was perfect. They went on dates, Korra had been teaching her how to cook, they really had just been spending as much time as possible learning each other and learning how to be a couple. They had their arguments of course, but even those were resolved quickly. Things were good, really really good, and Asami was happier than she had ever been. 

It was just that...Korra was still so gentle. So. Fucking. Gentle. And Asami really needed her not to be. 

Their sex now was good, and ok, good was an understatement. Their sex was amazing and she wasn’t complaining at all, Korra had this  _ way _ with her tongue that had Asami breathless most nights, but something was missing. Korra was always so controlled, so focused, so determined to be as gentle as possible and Asami needed her to just...not do that. After her shower she went to her sex box and cleaned off the strap on. At seven months with no use it practically needed to be dusted but she licked her lips and smiled.  _ Time to bring out the big guns. _

Korra came over a little while later, freshly showered and fucking hot, and Asami watched in silence as her girlfriend made them dinner. She loved to sit there and just marvel in the fact that yes, this woman, this wonderful and amazing and show-stopping woman, was hers. 

After they ate and cleaned up Asami hopped onto the counter and pulled Korra between her legs. “I have something for you upstairs.”

Korra pecked her lips and smiled. “What is it?”

Asami scratched the back of her neck exactly how she knew Korra liked it and leaned forward. “Why don’t you take me up there and we can find out.”

Korra gulped and nodded, taking a step back to hold out her hand but Asami shook her head and waited for her to get the hint. She was given an unimpressed look before Korra shook her head with a smile. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re difficult sometimes?” But Asami didn’t get a chance to answer because she was thrown over that wonderful shoulder and Korra was basically bounding upstairs. She missed this. 

A hand smacked her ass before setting her down next to the bed and while it wasn’t as hard as she knew Korra wanted to smack, it was something. Asami walked away and got the chair from the closet she had put in there earlier, bringing it out to the middle of her room before making Korra sit. Those blue eyes were confused for a second until she walked over to her stereo and put on a song, that song from that night, and then blue eyes went wide.  _ That’s it, Korra. _ She turned it up so they could feel the bass shake and Asami really felt the music this time, it was just them. She could do whatever she wanted. 

She could feel those eyes locked on as she swayed her hips, she turned to find Korra already white knuckling the chair and a smile crept onto her face.  _ Yes, lose that control, Korra, we both know you want to. _ It was so easy to get her riled up, all Asami had to do was straddle those strong thighs and grind her hips to the beat, but she wasn’t going to be that nice today. She ghosted her mouth along Korra’s neck and whispered filthy things into her ear, but when hands grabbed her ass and brought her in she bit Korra’s earlobe and pulled away. 

“No touching,” she said and left Korra’s lap to dance in front of her for a second before walking around behind. Asami took off her shirt and threw it where Korra could see and she watched hands clench the chair even harder. This was fun, and Asami wondered why she hadn’t given her another lap dance yet, but no time for other thoughts, she needed to move. She came back around front and rolled her body to the beat, fire rising on her skin as Korra gasped. Oh this was too good. 

She dropped to her knees and crawled towards the panting woman, coming up and spreading her legs apart. Korra’s moan almost made her lose it but the song was almost over now so Asami just pulled herself up, getting close enough to almost kiss those open, needy lips, but spun at the last second and sat down with her back facing her. Asami rolled her hips as she took off her bra and threw that away too, she knew that Korra loved to watch her from behind and the soft ‘fuck’ she heard muttered only solidified that fact. She rode that lap like she was fucking a toy, hoping that it would come true soon enough, and felt hips try and meet her own rhythm. 

She leaned back so Korra could get a full view of her front and whispered, “touch me.”

Hot, sweaty hands were on her thighs as Asami swayed to the end of the song, grabbing every inch of skin they could touch to bring her closer. It wasn’t in beat to the rhythm but she started to bounce her ass and she could feel Korra tighten everything. 

“Holy fuck, shit,” she moaned and placed her hands under Asami’s ass to help her bounced. It made Asami’s eyes nearly roll back in lusty need. “Fuck, Asami, your ass! I just-“ she wrapped her arms around her middle and pulled hard, hips rising up and trying to get some sort of friction. “I need you, Asami.”

_ Finally. _ She peeled off Korra’s strong arms and stood up. “You have me.” And oh spirits was that true. She had her, all of her, and Asami never wanted anyone else. She walked to her dresser and pulled out the strap, shivering at the thought of when Korra last used it, and walked back over. 

“Are you sure?” Korra asked skeptically when she saw it so Asami took her pants and underwear off in reply. 

“I’m sure, Korra,” she said when the woman still hadn’t taken it. “Please, I trust you.”

Korra took a deep breath before standing up and nodding. Asami gave her the toy and went to sit on the bed and watch the show. She loved seeing Korra get undressed, not only because she had the most exquisite body, but there was something so settling and satisfying to watch each article of clothing come off. It was like her own gift every time, seeing that raw power ripple in need for her. The thought of it all made Asami squeeze her legs together in anticipation. 

Korra fitted on the strap and started to walk towards her while putting her hair up in a ponytail and FUCK, what a sight. She knew the asshole always did that on purpose, her muscles popping so beautifully with her arms raised like that, and Asami needed her inside. Now. 

She scooted back in the bed and let Korra crawl to her and she moaned at the sight. That dance had turned her on so much and Asami couldn’t remember the last time she was this needy, it was probably their first night together. Something about the air felt wild and she wanted to get lost in it, want to get lost in Korra. Her hips canted of their own accord when she felt the dildo rest on her stomach, Korra leaning down to slot their lips together tenderly and Asami pulled her in close. Sturdy, hot weight kept her in place while Korra’s tongue worked its magic against her own and Asami was slowly turning into a mewling mess. 

“Korra, please.” She gasped as lips trailed a blaze down her jaw and neck. She would have almost been embarrassed at how needy she sounded but Korra smiled against her skin and she felt a hot hand travel down her body, stomach clenching as two fingers slid through her folds. 

“Shit, Asami,” Korra groaned and bit gently, causing her stomach to clench again. “You’re so wet.” She came back up to claim her mouth and sank two fingers in easily, Asami’s back arching at the delicious stretch. Korra curled and pumped slowly, letting her get used to it before pulling out. Asami wanted to argue but then the toy was lined up at her entrance and there was no reason to complain anymore. Korra’s eyes searched her own for permission and Asami nodded eagerly. Just get that fucking thing inside, already!

Korra pushed in slowly, watching her the whole time, until she was completely hilted inside. Every nerve was popping at the feeling and she could feel her neck tense up with the pleasure, body tingling as Korra dropped small, sweet kisses over her face. 

“You ok?” She asked. 

“More than ok,” Asami replied. “I’m ok,” she added for Korra’s sake and she finally started to move. Her walls clenched every time she pulled out, chasing that full feeling, and she started to rock her hips into each thrust. It had been so long, too damn long, and all she wanted was to forget her own damn name, but Korra was still being fucking gentle. 

“Korra, I need more,” she pleaded, desperate for something she couldn’t give herself. She had fallen for Korra because she knew the woman was so powerful, could be so wild and out of control. It was a balance she knew they would be able to circle around, Asami had never known another woman to be like her and it’s all she wanted. She needed Korra, she needed her to realized that she wasn’t glass. 

“I don’t want to hurt you, Asami.” Her eyes looked worried and it broke her heart a little, but it was also annoying. She didn’t put in all this work to be treated like some pretty princess. She needed to be fucked. 

“Korra, if you fucked me hard enough to damage the titanium plates in my pelvis I would literally _thank you,_ do you understand that?”

“But-“

“I’m not broken, damn it!” She was getting annoyed now but couldn’t stay mad at those damn blue eyes. She knew that Korra was only looking out for her, but Asami knew her own limits. “Get on your back.”

Korra only hesitated for a second before pulling out and doing what she was told. Good girl. This time, however, Asami straddled Korra with her back facing towards her and Korra groaned. “Holy shit.”

She felt powerful now, she was in control and Asami knew that this position would drive Korra absolutely wild. She sank back onto the toy easily, letting it stretch before she started to ride it. She switched up some angles until she found a good rhythm and let herself get lost for a bit. Korra was muttering little expletives to herself and Asami wondered when she would let go and give in. Hands grasped her hips and she thought it might come then, but they just held on to her. Well fine then, be that way. 

Asami grabbed all of her hair and held it above her head, elongating her back as she started to do that delicious rise, tilt, slide motion. The high pitched moan it got out of Korra had Asami smiling and working harder, she could sense it was coming. She pumped a little harder and could feel those thighs tense below her. 

“Hohh-fuck, Asami!” And hips snapped up to meet her own, the movement grinding her to a halt as a lightning bolt of pleasure split through her body and she cried out at the feeling. “Shit, did I hurt you? I’m so sorry Asami I-“

“Korra,” she said slowly and turned her head to make a point. “Don’t you dare, fucking, stop. Do you hear me?”

Blue eyes closed slowly before opening back up and there she was, there’s the woman Asami had been trying to find. She turned back around and started back up, choking back a scream every time Korra’s hips snapped up into hers. She could feel the hair on her neck stick up with each bolt up her spine, the full and incredible feeling of being fucked so good making the goosebumps almost permanent on her skin. Asami leaned forward and placed her hands on the bed, needing something to hold onto while her hips bounced up and down and she never wanted this to end. Korra held onto her ass to lift and pull down hard for each thrust and it had three little words nearly tumbling from her mouth. She could feel the pressure build deep in her gut and Asami let herself tumble into an earth shattering orgasm, ripping her apart so suddenly that she nearly fell over with the force of it. 

Korra rocked her hips as the waves of her orgasm crashed over her and it only elongated Asami’s pleasure. Fuck, she was so good at this, and before she knew it Asami was on her knees and Korra was running her hands up the back of her thighs. Yes yes yes, please yes. A hand made contact with her ass and her whole body twitched. “Fuck, Korra,” please don’t stop. A hand slapped the other cheek and she hardly bit back the keening moan which earned her another smack before the toy was at her entrance again and Asami pushed back against it to hilt herself. 

“I want to hear you, Asami,” Korra said in that commanding voice and it made her drip. “Don’t hold back.” 

And like she had a choice when Korra started pounding into her, there was nothing in the world that could keep her voice at bay. She grasped onto the sheets with everything she had to hold herself in place while Korra drove harder and harder into her, hands grasping so tight at her hips they were bound to leave bruises again, but she didn’t care. A pillow found its way under her stomach and Asami collapsed onto it, Korra following easily and the change in position had her begging for release. She knew this one was going to be a big one as hands pinned her down by the base of her back and each thrust damn near rearranged her insides. 

It was all she ever wanted and needed, ever since the first time she laid eyes on that incredible tan skin and blue eyes. Korra was something else entirely, almost a different kind of human, she was special. She knew exactly what Asami needed pretty much every time, even when Asami herself didn’t know. She could be so sweet, gentle, and caring but she could also lose control and be an absolute beast like she was now and Asami couldn’t stop the white lights that made her eyes roll back as another orgasm slammed into her. 

Korra was already laying down next to her when Asami came down from her high, not unlike that first time she nearly passed out with the force of her orgasm, and she just had to laugh. 

“What’s so funny?” Korra asked and brushed away some of the hair that had been thoroughly fucked into her face. 

“I’m just-“ she was still panting and needed a moment. “I’m just so in love with you.”

Korra’s hand stopped brushing her hair back and she looked at Asami in wonder, mouth falling open slightly. Her hair was tousled and sticky, face sheen with sweat from the exertion, and Asami thought that nothing had ever looked so beautiful. “So in love with you,” she muttered again, not a laugh in sight this time. Her heart throbbed as Korra searched her face for any sign of a joke but she found none. 

“I love you too, Asami,” she muttered softly and those damn blue eyes filled with tears. 

“You do?” She must look just as shocked and in awe as Korra had been moments before because now Korra was laughing. 

“Of course I do, you dork!” She swooped down and kissed her quickly, the feeling still making her warm from her head to her toes. “Do you think I’d give just anyone my dog?”

There was so much more that Korra did than that but Asami just pushed her into her back and sat in her lap. Korra was surprised for a second but then put her hands behind her head and was happy to gaze up. How she didn’t see it before, Asami didn’t know, but all those eyes said to her was  _ love love love, _ and thinking back, hadn’t it always been? Maybe not the love it was now but there had always been a draw, a need to be around each other that seemed invariably inexplicable, but she understood it now. Love, deep, protective, amazing love that compelled her to do whatever Korra needed, and it must have been the same for the woman looking up at her. It seemed so simple in that very moment, to imagine a life just like this, right here. Maybe not to be fucked senseless every night like she just was, but Asami figured that as long as Korra was there, she would be happy. 

“How did I get so lucky?” She asked in wonder, in complete and utter awe of the woman below her. 

Korra smiled and raised herself up onto her elbows. “By helping some idiot who decided to stick her hand into a hot engine.”

“I guess I’m just lucky that person was as hot as that engine was.”

“Oh shut up,” Korra said and flipped her over, effectively shutting her up with her mouth and they got lost in each other’s lips, content in just feeling one another until Korra’s hips pressed down and Asami began to burn again. 

She put her hand between them and lined Korra up expertly, head rolling back when she pushed in slowly, and this time was different. Korra wasn’t worried about hurting her but she wanted to milk every sound, every twitch, every gasp. This was for her, to let her watch Asami writhe in pleasure and be connected with one another. Korra rested her forehead on Asami’s, rolling her hips again and again and again, blue locked into green and her eyes screamed the same thing with every thrust. 

Love love love love. 

And Asami would do anything for her to keep her feeling so loved, that was a simple truth. 

_______

And that next morning, when Asami woke up again wrapped up in hot arms and soft breaths against her neck, she stayed. 

_______

“Honey, I’m home!” Korra could hear the little laugh coming from the kitchen and she smiled as she walked towards it, smiling wider when Asami finally came into view. That’ll never get old. She came up from behind and slid her hands around that waist she knew perfectly and they swayed together while pale hands stirred their dinner. 

“You stink,” Asami said finally and Korra bit her neck. “Hey! Hot pan.”

“Be nice to me,” Korra said and kissed the spot, returning to their sway. “Your neighbors are far needier customers than you ever were.”

“Oh I was needy alright.” Asami pushed her ass back into Korra’s hips and they laughed. “But really, how was I supposed to know that they would all want you to redo their kitchens when we had that block party dinner?”

She groaned in remembrance at how many families that lived around Asami, around them now, had fought for Korra to do their kitchens and homes first. It had been overwhelming, rich people fighting for her by offering more and more each time, but they all got it worked out eventually. It was steady work so she couldn’t complain. Well, it was more than steady really, she had earned more money in the last few months than she had in the last few years from those commissions, but that’s just how things go when you have good connections. 

“We’re never hosting that block party dinner again.” The party had been quite fun, getting to know the neighbors and actually becoming a little part of their community, but it still had been so much prep work and cleanup. 

Asami just shrugged and Korra kissed that spot on her neck again for good measure before letting go. “That smells good,” she sniffed the air, getting both a whiff of their dinner and of Asami, “what is it?”

“A new recipe your mom sent me,” she said and Korra huffed. 

“She always sends you recipes and not me.”

“Korra, we  _ live _ together.” She pushed the pan back a little and turned to wrap her arms around Korra’s neck, bringing her back in. “And I’m on my phone more than you, of course she sends them to me.”

She pouted. “I think they like you better than me.”

Asami shrugged and kissed her hard, making her dizzy. “I like you the best, at least.”

“I’ll take it,” she said with a smile and smiled wider when green eyes rolled hard. “I’m going to go shower, since apparently I stink, and I’ll be down in a bit.”

She smacked Asami’s butt before walking off, Naga getting up off her spot on the floor lazily to follow, and Korra headed upstairs. She really wasn’t upset if her parents did like Asami better, she completely understood, really. A few months after they officially became girlfriends, Korra took Asami home South to visit where she grew up and to finally meet the two of the most important people in her life. 

Korra hardly got to see her girlfriend that whole week.

Asami had been taken away by her mom to show all of Korra’s baby pictures and teach her some home cooking while her dad had snagged her up to help fix old machines. One day the two of them were in the garage from sunrise to sunset, and then came back inside to sit in her dad's study and drink whiskey, without inviting Korra. 

No, she didn’t mind it at all, because it was about damn time Asami got proper, unconditional love from parents. Not that she hadn’t been loved by her own, but at the end of Hiroshi Sato’s life and his involvement with underground gangs, it had been some years since she had received the tender love from a parent. Seeing the three of them together just slid in another puzzle piece in Korra’s heart, that she was a perfect fit. 

Since moving in almost a year ago, she and Asami had moved some things around in the house, the main part being a large portion of the back wing - yes, wing - of the house being demolished to build an entirely new workshop for the both of them. Asami’s workshop had been nice and spacious, but after the accident, it just had been too much for her to handle. Not only that, but with Korra moving in and bringing all of her own tools in tow, they just needed a bigger space. 

Watching Asami in her hard hat while driving a bulldozer into the side of their house had been a moment to remember for Korra. Green eyes gleamed at tearing down the old, and showing those pale hands how to measure and slot pieces of wood together as they rebuilt a new shop together? Korra felt another puzzle piece slide into that place in her life. Asami was a perfect fit. 

With the house a bit smaller now from the remodel it took to build the new shop, Korra found it a lot easier to navigate the halls. Slowly they were changing things, rebuilding, repainting, and making it something of their own. She had worried a little bit on whether Asami would be ok with having some of her Water Tribe pieces around the house, but there wasn’t a need to worry. Somehow everything tied in together perfectly. It was fun being able to demolish things together, knowing that they were changing it to be something that they wanted. Seeing Asami lift up as the weight of her past left her for good? Now that was amazing. 

Double dates turned into a weekly thing for them once Asami had healed, mind and body. Well, it was more like double and a half dates, since Mako usually tagged along. While he had been awkward that day so long ago, he had finally gotten over the fact that his two exes, that he cheated on with for each other, were now dating. Opal and Asami would cheer the three of them on from the stands during their hockey games, of which the latter woman had realized how much she  _ really _ liked Korra in hockey gear, and things had really been good. Everything they did together was filled with fun and the five of them just had an easy friendship that she could feel would almost transcend lifetimes, if that was even a thing.

And Asami? She was just, well, Korra couldn’t really think of words adequate enough to describe her. Or there weren’t enough, at least. 

She was enchanting, the way she moved and smiled always had Korra star struck at the easy grace of all of her movements. From writing a grocery list, to fixing their broken lathe, to every lap dance (which had easily become a regular thing), Asami was smooth and calculated with everything she did. 

She was a quick learner, a very quick learner, and Korra should have known from the very beginning that Asami would always be giving her a run for her money. For someone who had never cooked in her life, Asami had mastered the art in hardly a few weeks once she actually got Korra to teach her.  _ What? _ She had asked when Korra looked at her in awe one day before they lived together and she came over after work. Asami had already had dinner ready and plated by the time she got there.  _ A recipe is basically an instruction manual for food, the ingredients are the parts and you put them together a certain way. It’s easy.  _

Korra had just kissed her stupid at that, dinner forgotten about for a little bit. Of course her genius of a girlfriend would figure out a way to relate food to machine parts. She was such a nerd and Korra loved it. She loved her, she loved her with every fiber of her being. 

She loved her when she was a mess, she loved her when she forgot to fold the laundry, she loved her while she was a bitch, and she loved her while they loved. And oh, did they love. Still now, a little after two years of being together, Korra’s breath caught in her throat just  _ thinking _ about Asami. About what it feels like to run her fingers through silky black hair, about the tender flesh in the dip of her collarbone that could make her squeal, about those scars she watched fade, the scars she still kissed in remembrance of a time where she might have lost all of this. 

Might have lost all of Asami. 

And what would a life of that be like? She never wanted to know. So when Korra got dressed and slipped that ring into her pocket, she hoped the answer Asami gave her would allow her to never have to live a life without waking up to those groggy green eyes every morning. 

She walked back through the halls slowly, gazing on all of the pictures they had hung of the things they loved most, of times together they wanted to be able to look back on every day. There was their first vacation together, to some odd amusement park called “The Spirit Wilds,” but it had turned out to be a lot of fun, even if Korra did break her finger on a rock. There were countless of them together, building or cooking, little slices of heaven that may not have seemed like much in the moment but looking back, they’re all important. 

There were pictures of them with Korra’s parents in the snow, noses pink and smiles wide from the snowball fight that had just occurred. There were a few of their group of five, but as Korra reached the end of the hall before the stairs, she stopped at a photo. 

It was the five of them, dressed to the nines, smiles wide and tears brimming eyelids as Opal and Bolin raised their joined hands in the air, having just said “I do.” Their wedding was beautiful, Opal’s mother made absolutely sure of that, and you could feel the love of that night come through the picture that now hung on their wall. 

Could they have the same?

As she watched Asami only minutes later talk about a new project at work, forgetting the food in front of her in her excitement, Korra thought yes. Yes of course they could have that love and that happiness, because hadn’t it always been there? She was just as happy now as she had been the first time the two of them talked, just as happy as she was lifting Asami in and out of her wheelchair, and she knew they would be just as happy 20 years from now. 

She cleaned up from dinner while Asami hopped up on the counter to watch. It was their easy nightly ritual, Asami would cook and she would clean, or vice versa, but Asami always wound up on the counter somehow and Korra would slide expertly between her legs. Tonight was no different as her arms wrapped around that strong stomach and she slid her fingertips under the hem of Asami’s shirt. 

Her skin was so soft. 

She knew every angle, every dip and crack, every freckle and tiny birthmark; she had charted Asami’s skin almost obsessively, reverently. Korra relished in finding new ways to make her shiver, moan, squeak and even though it was fun to find new spots, she always knew the best ones. Her fingertips pressed into the small of Asami’s back and pulled her a little closer, fitting perfectly. She had asked her once, if Korra had made this countertop height at the perfect level for them to be able to do this, but it really had just been coincidence. A happy coincidence, that was, as it really was just the perfect height. 

She tilted her head back slightly and smiled, her pocket practically buzzing but her heartbeat was steady. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Asami replied and gave her a kiss. 

“There’s something I want to tell you,” Korra said and thrummed her fingers where they lay under that shirt. Asami raised both of her eyebrows in an offer for her to continue and Korra huffed out a laugh. “When they were transporting you to the hospital that morning of your accident...” she paused slightly but with Asami’s soft smile, Korra carried on. “They weren’t going to let me in the ambulance so I told them you were my fiancée so they’d let me on.”

Asami’s eyebrows shot into her hairline for a second before she tilted her head back and laughed. She had such a beautiful laugh and Korra just held her tighter through it. 

“Why?” Asami asked, a laugh still in her throat. 

“Because you have to be family to go in there!” She tried to argue and it made Asami laugh harder. “I didn’t want you out of my sight! I had to do something. Siblings is a little far fetched,” she nudged their contrasting arms together, “and if I said wife I might have been saddled with your  medical bills.”

“Healthcare is free, Korra.”

“Whatever,” she huffed, “I’m just being dramatic.”

“Clearly,” Asami said with a smile and wrapped her arms back around Korra’s neck, scratching lightly at that one perfect spot. “So why are you just telling me this now?”

Perfect. “Well,” she said as she reached into her pocket, “I was sort of hoping that we could make that fiancée thing official.” She held up the ring in front of Asami’s face and watched it turn from amused to shocked. “Asami, will you marry me?”

She already knew the answer, kind of. They had talked about it many times before, but the shock of the moment was still the best part. Watching tears well in those green eyes she loved beyond compare, a smile splitting that beautiful face, Korra could feel one of the biggest pieces of her heart slide into place. 

“Yes! Yes, fuck! Of course I’ll marry you.” 

And as she slid the ring onto that beautiful finger they both started crying like idiots, faces wet when they met for a hot kiss, full of need, want, and love. 

Love love love love. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all folks! Thank you all so much for being here and I really hope you enjoyed this :)
> 
> The ring Korra got, as a mixture of their aesthetics :) - https://pin.it/2EDAzzR


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